Synopsis of the rupicolous vegetation of Galicia (North-western Iberian Peninsula)

In this paper we present a synopsis of the rupicolous vegetation found in Galicia, according to the Zürich-Montpellier School. The climate of this territory, an area of 29,439 km² situated in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, is largely Atlantic European becoming subhumid Mediterranean with a Central European tendency in the east of the region. There is an appreciable summer drought but annual rainfall is high: ombroclime is thus hyperhumid or humid becoming subhumid in the Southeast. Biogeographically most of the area is Eurosiberian except part of the Southeast, which is Mediterranean. Acidic rocks (granites, gneissic, schists and slates) predominate; there are also smaller areas of limestone, gabbros, and metabasic and ultrabasic rocks, some of this last type are serpentine. In this synthesis, we report 17 associations and 16 subassociations as well as 3 communities of unknown syntaxonomy. Of these, 1 association and 9 subassociations are described as new syntaxa and the names of 3 associations are corrected. The principal ecological conditions that influence the composition and distribution of these associations and its biogeographic and bioclimatic characteristics are presented in two summarizing tables. Floristic differences between the associations included in this synopsis are summarized in a synoptic table.