Spain’s Diverse Vegetation: A Complete Overview
Spain’s Rich Vegetation and Flora
Vegetation and flora encompass all plant species within a region. Earth’s major plant communities are known as floral kingdoms, further divided into regions. The Iberian Peninsula belongs to the Holarctic Kingdom, which includes land north of the Tropic of Cancer. This kingdom comprises three regions: the Boreoalpine region (high mountain areas like the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains), the Siberian region (northern Peninsula and parts of the Central and Iberian Systems), and the Mediterranean region (the rest of the Peninsula). The Canary Islands represent the Macaronesian region.
Factors Affecting Vegetation
Vegetation comprises plant communities categorized by size and appearance. The three main types are forests, scrublands, and grasslands. Spain boasts around 6000 plant species, a diversity influenced by several factors:
- Physical Factors: Diverse climates demand specific temperature and precipitation conditions. Varied relief creates diverse species depending on altitude, windward/leeward orientation, sun exposure, and soil type. The Iberian Peninsula’s location and the Canary Islands’ insularity also play a role. Vegetation solely impacted by natural factors is called climax or potential vegetation.
- Human Factors: Introduction of economically valuable species and degradation of existing vegetation are significant. Vegetation resulting from human intervention is called secondary vegetation.
Landscape Plants in Spain
Oceanic Climate Vegetation
This corresponds to the Siberian region. Characteristic vegetation includes deciduous forests, heathlands, and grasslands.
Deciduous Forests
These forests feature tall trees with straight, smooth trunks and large leaves that fall in autumn. Key species include pedunculate oak and beech. The understory contains ferns and mosses.
- Beech: Tolerates cold well, needs high humidity, and adapts to calcareous and siliceous soils. Its wood is used for furniture and utensils.
- Oak: Less cold-tolerant and requires less moisture than beech. Its wood is used for construction and furniture. Found extensively in Galicia and the Cantabrian Mountains.
- Chestnut: A secondary vegetation formation that has expanded at the expense of oak, valued for its fruit and wood.
Other species include ash, basswood, elm, and hazel. Deciduous forests have declined due to reduced traditional wood use, replacement by fossil fuels, uncontrolled fires, and afforestation with fast-growing species like pine and eucalyptus. These replacements are criticized for soil acidification and increased fire risk.
Heathlands and Meadows
Heathlands are dense thickets, often resulting from deciduous forest degradation. Common species include heather, gorse, and broom. Meadows are herbaceous vegetation covering large areas.
Mediterranean Climate Vegetation
This corresponds to the Mediterranean floral region. Characteristic vegetation includes evergreen forests and scrublands (maquis, garrigue, and steppe).
These xeric formations are adapted to summer drought through various mechanisms: extensive root systems, evergreen, sclerophyllous leaves (hard and leathery), and adaptations to reduce transpiration (small leaves, protective coatings, spines).
Evergreen Forests
These forests consist of medium-height trees with thick, rugged trunks and evergreen leaves. Characteristic species include holm oak and cork oak. The understory is rich in species like broom and gorse.
- Holm Oak: Drought-resistant and adaptable to various soil types. Its wood is used for various purposes, and its acorns feed livestock.
- Cork Oak: Needs mild winters, sufficient moisture, and siliceous soils. Its wood is used for barrels and boats, and its bark for cork.
Pine is a secondary formation, adaptable to various conditions and widely spread due to human intervention. Evergreen forests have also declined due to reduced traditional uses, replacement by fast-growing species, agricultural mechanization, and fires. Modern management involves clarifying forests and combining the use of fruit, wood, and timber with agriculture and grazing.
Mediterranean Scrub
Scrub is not a climax formation but results from forest degradation. Three types exist:
- Maquis: A dense shrub formation over two meters tall.
- Garrigue: Low-lying shrubs and bushes with bare patches.
- Steppe: Low grasses interspersed with thorny bushes, typical of semi-arid areas.
Riparian Vegetation
Along rivers, vegetation differs due to soil moisture. Species are arranged in bands parallel to the river. Riparian forests include alder, willow, poplar, aspen, ash, and elm. These forests have been reduced due to cultivation, urbanization, and channel modifications.
Mountain Vegetation
Mountain vegetation varies with altitude and orientation. Forests, thickets, grasslands, and rock-adapted plants are found.
Alpine or Pyrenean Mountains
Four levels exist:
- Basement Level: Up to 1200 meters, including oaks.
- Subalpine Level: 1200-2400 meters, with conifers like pine and spruce.
- Alpine Zone: 2400-3000 meters, dominated by meadows and rock-adapted plants.
- Nival Zone: Above 3000 meters, with sparse vegetation.
Other Peninsular Mountains
The basement level is occupied by pine forests (deciduous in Atlantic areas, evergreen in Mediterranean areas). The supraforestal level includes shrubs and heathlands. Grasslands dominate in Atlantic areas, and scrub in Mediterranean areas.
Canary Islands Vegetation
Canary Islands vegetation is exceptionally rich, with Mediterranean origins and influences from Africa and the South Atlantic. Insularity leads to high endemism and relict species.
- Basement Level: Up to 300-500 meters, dominated by drought-resistant shrubs.
- Middle Level: 200-800 meters, with palms, dragon trees, and bushes.
- Termocanarian Level: 800-1200 meters, with laurel and myrtle forests.
- Canarian Level: 1200-2200 meters, dominated by Canary pine forests.
- Supracanarian Level: Above 2200 meters, with sparse vegetation.