fulltext - DiVA

130 NILS MALMERmeadow vegetation rich in Eleocharis pauciflora.The initial stages with only Rhynchospora, Dmsera,Gymnocolea etc. are related to the mud-bottomcommunities of mire expanse character in the poorfen and moderately rich fen vegetation in southwesternSweden (cf. "Southern mires"). Rhynchosporionalbae (KocH 1926) includes related vegetationfrom the greater part of Western Europe.In still wetter depressions is found a relatedcommunity with dense mats of Littorella unifloraand Ranunculus reptans and with Fossombroniadumortieri intermingled.LITTORAL HEATH.-0n flat, sheltered shores withmineral soil edging oligotrophic lakes ("poor" orLobelion lakes, Du RIETZ 145) as well as alongrivers, in south-western Sweden the Myrica gale­M olinia coerulea community (on several sites withLythrum salicaria) is found in the uppermost partsof the geolittoral, bordering the surrounding forest.At a somewhat lower level on the lake shores it isfollowed by a Rhynchospora community very likethat described above from Skanor's Ljung. Thesetwo communities are usually not submergedduring dry periods in summer (cf. Du RIETZ 1940).Further lakewards they are replaced by a communitywith Eleocharis palustris, Littorella uniflora,Lobelia dortmanna and Ranunculus reptans. Cf., e.g.,BLOMGREN & NAUMANN (1925), THUNMARK (1931),H. WEIMARCK (1942), WALDHEIM (1944, pp. 38 ff.),LILLIEROTH (1950) and MALMER (1960, p. 94, 1961,p. 127).The Erica-Myrica vegetational complex has anintermediate position between heath and mirevegetation. BocHER (1943) unites it (except theRhynchospora community) with related bog andpoor fen hummock vegetation within the allianceUlicio-Ericion tetralicis, and most Central Europeanauthors class all these types among the Erico­Sphagnetalia (SCHWICKERATH 1940). WALDHEIM(1944, p. 42) assigns the lake shore communitiesto Du RIETZ's (1949 a) Subsecundo-Apiculation.However, there are indeed several differentialspecies between mires and wet heaths, and alsoconditions for peat formation differ. In wet heathareas and on lake shores peat accumulation is noneor very slow. Even though it is somewhat strange totalk about "heath vegetation" around a lake therehardly seem to be any clear differences between thetypical wet heath vegetation, e.g. on Skanor's Ljung,and similar vegetation on the freshwater shores.Our knowledge about this group of related plantcommunities is, however, yet too scanty to permita classification based on their mutual relations.ConclusionThe South Swedish landscape of to-day undergoesrapid changes. Seaside resorts (GuNNARRASMUSSON1962) and other settlements for vacation and openair life grow up like mushrooms whereas remotesmall farms and hamlets are deserted. In theArchaean areas of the uplands, the forests expandagain over large areas of heaths and meadows thatwere reclaimed from forest centuries ago. This leadsto more uniformity in vegetation and to a closed,monotonous landscape. The old-fashioned agriculturaland pastoral lands ea pes will soon have todisappear, and there is an urgent need for thoroughecological investigation before it is too late.Acta Phytogeogr. Suec. 50