The black alder (
Alnus glutinosa (L.)
Gaertn.) stands occupy 2.5% of the forest area in Latvia. The majority of its communities lie on peatlands; they have been studied
in the whole of latvia using the Braun-Blanquet approach.
One hundred and fifty alder dominated relevés selected from 334 forest areas have been analysed. Three associations (Carici elongatae-Alnetum, Sphagno squarrosi-Alnetum, andCircaeo-Alnetum), one with four subassociations have been recognized; these belong to the Eurosiberian alder swamps (cl.Alnetea glutinosae) and the European broad-leaved forests (cl.Querco-Fagetea). The phytosociological structure, distribution in Latvia and floristic features of these communities are reported. Results
are compared with similar communities in the Baltic Sea states and neighbouring countries.
Key words
Alnus glutinosa
- Peatland - Swamp forest - Syntaxonomy - Hemiboreal zone