Table 3

Major communities of Colchic vegetation

Community

Principal or typical species

Alpine desert, or sub-nival open vegetation

Primula bayernii, Cerastium undulatifolium

Alpine grasslands

Geranium gymnocaulon, Festuca djimilensis, Carex pontica, C. tristis, Agrostis lazica, Festuca supina, Geum speciosum

Alpine carpets

Sibbaldia semiglabra, Ranunculus brachylobus, Campanula tridentata, Gentiana pontica

Dekiani (alpine scrub)

Rhododendron caucasicum

Sub-alpine forest and krummholz

Fagus orientalis, Acer trautvetteri, Betula litwinowii, B. megrelica, B. medwedewii, Quercus pontica

Sub-alpine scrub

Rhododendron caucasicum, Rh. ponticum, Rh. ungernii, Laurocerasus officinalis, Rhamnus imeretina, Corylis colchica

Altherbosa

Heracleum aconitiifolium, H. ponticum, Ligustrum alatum, Milium schmidtianum

Sub-alpine grasslands

Poa iberica, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Agrostis planifolia, Geranium platypetalum

Nemoral coniferous and mixed forests

Abies nordmanniana, Picea orientalis, Fagus orientalis

Pine forest with birch krummholz

Pinus kochiana, Betula litwinowii

Colchis coniferous and mixed forests (with evergreen understorey)

Abies nordmanniana, Picea orientalis, Fagus orientalis with Rhododendron ponticum, Laurocerasus officinalis, Ilex colchica

Colchic beech forests (with evergreen understorey)

Fagus orientalis with Rhododendron ponticum, Rh. luteum, Laurocerasus officinalis, Ilex colchica, Vaccinium arctostaphylos

Colchis broad leaved with forests (with the evergreen understorey)

Castanea sativa, Fagus orientalis, Quercus iberica with Rhododendron ponticum, Rh. luteum, Laurocerasus officinalis, Ilex colchica, Vaccinium arctostaphylos

Lowland Colchic forests (with evergreen understorey)

Quercus imeretina, Q. hartwissiana, Zelkova carpinifolia, Carpinus caucasica, Castanea sativa, Fagus orientalis with Rhododendron ponticum, Rh. luteum, Laurocerasus officinalis, Ilex colchica, Vaccinium arctostaphylos

Wetland and peat bog alder forests

AInus barbata

Relic pine (mixed) forests

Pinus pithyusa, Carpinus orientalis, Cistus ponticus

Mixed oak and pine forests

Quercus dshorochensis, Pinus kochiana

^*Taxonomic rank of some species is not clear and they may be a local variety of more widely distributed species such as: Fagus orientalis = Fagus sylvatica, or Fagus sylvatica ssp. orientalis Laurocerasus officinalis syn. Prunus laurocerasus Ilex colchica = Ilex aquifolium Quercus imeretina = Quercus robur ssp. imeretina Quercus dschorochensis = Quercus petraea ssp. dschorochensis Carpinus caucasica = Carpinus betulus Pinus pithyusa = Pinus kochiana ssp. pithyusa

Kikvidze and Ohsawa BMC Ecology 2001 1:6   doi:10.1186/1472-6785-1-6