Understanding Therophytes, Geophytes, and Pastureland Vegetation
Therophytes and Geophytes
Therophytes and geophytes are plant species that survive unfavorable conditions by spending that time as seeds or developing specialized structures.
Gramineae (Grasses)
- Ryegrass (Lolium): Belongs to the grass family (Gramineae). It is a diploid species.
- Italian Ryegrass: Widely grown in Spain. Often cultivated in monoculture or mixed with other species. It has good nutritional value and an upright growth habit.
- English Ryegrass: Easy to establish and exhibits good persistence. Offers good nutritional value for grazing and has a long productive life.
- Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata): A perennial grass.
- Fescue (Festuca): Used for forage. Different types are suited for different grazing animals.
- Tall Fescue: Used for forage or hay. It has a slow establishment rate.
- Meadow Fescue: High quality forage.
- Poas: Tolerant to frequent grazing and low-growing.
Leguminosae (Legumes)
- Trifolium repens (White Clover): A perennial with a small size and trailing growth habit with stolons. It has trifoliate leaves and globose flower heads. Germinates in autumn and thrives in soils with a pH between 5 and 8. It has high nutritional quality, especially in summer. Its presence is reduced by nitrogen fertilizer.
- T. pratense (Red Clover): An erect perennial with trifoliate leaves. It has purple flower heads.
- Medicago sativa (Alfalfa): A perennial used for cutting. It has long, jagged leaflets and flowers in racemes. The legume is dehiscent (opens and closes quickly). It thrives in deep soils, tolerates drought, and is a good quality grazing plant.
- Lotus corniculatus (Birdsfoot Trefoil): A perennial with a trailing growth habit without stolons. It has a deep root system and trifoliate leaves. The inflorescence is an umbel with yellow flowers. It has many cylindrical legume seeds. It requires light and does not tolerate waterlogging. It has a long duration in the pasture and does not cause bloating.
- Medicago lupulina (Black Medick): Found in northern regions. It is an annual or biennial. It has creeping stems and yellow flowers in racemes.
- Melilotus (Sweetclover): Used for forage and bee pasture. It has white or yellow flowers in racemes. It contains coumarin, which gives it a distinctive smell.
- Trifolium subterraneum (Subterranean Clover): An annual that buries its seeds underground. It has white, creeping stems and is found in pastures.
- T. fragiferum (Strawberry Clover): A perennial with a creeping, stoloniferous growth habit. It is good for grazing and is sown in winter.
Vegetation Types
- Dehesa: Characterized by scattered trees and a herbaceous layer where the shrub layer has been removed.
- Maquia: A community with a homogeneous vegetation height, typically woody and taller than 2 meters. Examples include madroñales and lentiscares.
- Garriga: A formation with a height of less than 2 meters, often found on basic substrates. It includes species like Quercus coccifera and Q. ilex.
- Fallow Land: Composed of spontaneous vegetation in agricultural areas where dry-farming practices are used. The land is left to rest for 10 or more years to accumulate water.
- Erial Pasture: Abandoned land with spontaneous vegetation.
Psicroxerofilos and Acidophilus Vegetation
- Caricetea curvulae: Herbaceous perennials and acidophilic psicroxerofilas (adapted to both dry and cold conditions) that develop on soils with moisture in mountainous climates. Problems arise due to a lack of infrastructure for grazing.
- Medi-edged Blades or Acid Vegetation: Includes Festucetalia indigestae, which are psicroxer or edge species found in alpine areas. Their production is lower than that of alpine pastures. They have a high pastoral value and provide a source of green food in summer. Transhumance has been practiced in these areas.
- Bas-edged or Sharp Edges or Crioturbados Vegetation: Hard and scrub pads, both mesophile (mountain) and quionófobo (located in areas where snow disappears quickly), found on soils subjected to cryoturbation processes.