Hecken und Gebüsche in den Kulturlandschaften Europas - Pflanzensoziologische Dokumentation als Basis für Schutzmaßnahmen

The plant communities of scrubs and hedges of the temperate and (sub-)boreal zone of Europe are arranged in two tables: Franguletea (33 columns, 1506 relevés), and Rhamno-Prunetea (69 columns, 4282 relevés). This vegetation is discussed with respect to its history, occurrence, syntaxonomy, and endangering (by destroying, hypertrophy, neophytes, etc.). The Franguletea class is negatively characterized by the absence of Rhamno-Prunetea species and positively defined by species occurring on acid soils. It consists of the orders Rubetalia pli-cati Weber 1995 (with three alliances) and Salicetalia auritae Doing ex Westhoff & den Held 1969 (only with Salicion cinereae Müller & Görs ex Passarge in Scamoni 1963). The Rham­no-Prunetea class is positively characterized by mostly prickly or thorny shrubs like Prunus spinosa, Crataegus, Rosa, and others, and divided into three very different orders: Prunetalia spinosae Tx. 1952 (with six alliances, scrubs and hedges), Sambucetalia racemosae Oberd. ex Passarge in Scamoni 1983 (two alliances, scrubs on clearings in woods or, in hig­her altitudes, also scrubs and hedges outside of woods), and Salicetalia arenariae Preising & Weber ordo nov. (two alliances, coastal scrubs on dunes).