K15
Albanian-Macedonian black pine forests (Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana), partly with Pinus heldreichii, Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica, with Daphne blagayana on ophiolite rocks
Description
Three-layered, light, 10-15 m tall black pine forests with dominant Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana; well developed shrub and herb layers where the latter is dominated by Sesleria robusta with many sub-shrubs.
K15:
Biome:
Trees: Swiss Pine dominates; partly Bosnian Pine, Silver Fir, and Bulgarian Fir; rare Common Oak
Thin canopy, and only about half-height
Shrubs: Juniper, Greek Juniper Bush, Flowering Alder Buckthorn Bush and Hawthorn
Ground cover: kentucky_bluegrass dominates; clumps of harts_tongue_fern
wild_parsley, oxeye_daisy, dogs_mercury, common_meadow_grass, green_meadow_fescue, cow_parsley, alpine_bearberry, bilberry_bush, black_knapweed, hawthorn_bush, green_spurge, lingonberry_bush, green_sphagnum_moss, dark_green_sphagnum_moss
Tree Layer
Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana (Swiss Pine), Pinus heldreichii (Bosnian Pine), Abies alba (Silver Fir), Abies borisii-regis (Bulgarian Fir), rarely Quercus frainetto (Common Oak), Quercus dalechampii (not in Albania) (Common Oak)
Shrub Layer
Chamaecytisus polytrichus (alpine_bearberry), Daphne blagayana (bilberry_bush), Daphne oleoides (bilberry_bush), Staehelina uniflosculosa (black_knapweed), Juniperus communis (Juniper), Juniperus oxycedrus (Greek Juniper Bush), Berberis cretica (hawthorn_bush), Crataegus orientalis (Hawthorn), Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn), Sideritis syriaca (green_spurge), Genista carinalis (lingonberry_bush)
Lianas
Clematis vitalba (Flowering Alder Buckthorn Bush)
Herb Layer
Ferulago sylvatica (harts_tongue_fern), Potentilla micrantha (wild_parsley), Sesleria robusta (kentucky_bluegrass), Doronicum orientale (wild_parsley), Silene multicaulis (oxeye_daisy), Aremonia agrimonoides (dogs_mercury); Sesleria coerulans (common_meadow_grass), Festuca paniculata (green_meadow_fescue), Heracleum sphondylium subsp. Sphondylium (cow_parsley)
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Scleropodium purum (dark_green_sphagnum_moss), Dicranum scoparium (green_sphagnum_moss)
North Ithilien, upper slopes
