An Asphodelus ramosus dominated plant community in Montenegro: fringe or grassland?

Our phytosociological study in Montenegro (Ćemovsko polje) deals with the syntaxonomy of arid grasslands in the Adriatic region and, in particular, different interpretations of plant communities dominated by Asphodelus ramosus. The main aims of this study were to contribute to knowledge of the composition of dry grasslands dominated by Asphodelus ramosus in Montenegro and to compare instances of Asphodelus ramosus dominated vegetation along the Adriatic. Our vegetation dataset included 82 phytosociological relevés: 17 from our recent field work and 72 relevés of South European Asphodelus ramosus communities. Ordination analysis (NMDS) was used for comparison of Asphodelus ramosus dominated communities in the Adriatic region. The Asphodelus ramosus community from Montenegro was classified into Bromo erecti-Chrysopogonetum grylli. The analysis revealed two distinct vegetation groups: grassland communities of the vegetation class Festuco-Brometea from Montenegro, Croatia and Albania, and edge vegetation of the new class Charybdido pancratii-Asphodeletea ramosi from Italy. Comparison with similar vegetation types shows high similarity with associations on the eastern Adriatic coast, where they are treated as grassland communities belonging to the alliance Chrysopogono grylli-Koelerion splendentis, order Scorzoneretalia villosae, class Festuco-Brometea