Snowbed vegetation in Croatia: Phytosociology, ecology and conservation status

Phytosociology, ecology and chorology of snowbed vegetation in Croatia were researched. Snowbed stands, found only in freezing ravines and dolines of the Liburnian karst and Velebit Mountains (NW Dinaric Alps, NW Croatia), were classified into the association Drepanoclado-Heliospermetum (Salicion retusae, Arabidetalia caeruleae, Thlaspietea rotundifolii). Those stands, exposed mostly to the north and shaded for the majority of the growing season, were developed on more or less settled periglaciar screes and boulders in the coldest parts (bottoms, smaller ditches) of the dolines with long-lasting snow cover. Due to lower altitude of Croatian mountains, snowbed vegetation could be found only azonally, in freezing ravines surrounded by altimontane and subalpine (fir-)beech and spruce forests, where these stands manage to thrive due to specific microclimatic conditions. Snowbeds host some rare, endangered and/or protected plant species in Croatia. Vulnerability of the flora and vegetation of snowbeds in Croatia is briefly discussed.