Distribution of "Festuca patula" Desf. in the Iberian Peninsula; ecology and population sizes of its populations in Las Villuercas and Los Montes de Toledo

Abstract

Population sizes and habitat types of Festuca patula Desf. are reported for Las Villuercas and Los Montes de Toledo regions (CW Spain). The distribution range of Festuca patula in the Iberian Peninsula is increased with 21 new records: one for Sierra Nevada (Granada, S Spain) and 20 for The Villuercas and Los Montes de Toledo (Cáceres, Toledo and Ciudad Real). The individuals of the latter areas grow under different environmental conditions. They live on rocky or relatively well-developed soils derived from metamorphic rocks, ranging from 300 to 900 m above sea level. They usually grow in temperate caducifolious and marcescent forests but also colonize open scrubs on rocky slopes, often bordering riparian stands. Most of the populations contain less than 100 individuals; only one population has more than 1,000. The population sizes are apparently larger on shady wooded sites with relatively well-developed soils than in rocky sites.