SM14: Halimione portulacoides salt-marsh community: Halimionetum portulacoidis (Kuhnholtz-Lordat 1927) Des Abbayes & Corillion 1949

Summary

Synonymy

Obionetum and Halimionetum auct. angl.

Constant species

Halimione portulacoides, Puccinellia maritima.

Rare species

Arthrocnemum perenne, Frankenia laevis, Inula crithmoides, Limonium bellidifolium, Suaeda vera.

Physiognomy

This is a closed, species-poor association in which Halimione portulacoides is constant and physiognomically conspicuous as a bushy canopy up to 50 cm high or as a virtually prostrate carpet. Puccinellia maritima is also constant and there is frequently a little Suaeda maritima and sparse records for a variety of species from both low and upper marsh. Epiphytic algae are often abundant on the lower stems of the H. portulacoides and at some sites small patches of fucoids are present beneath canopy gaps.

Sub-communities

Géhu & Delzenne (1975) allocated samples of Halimione portulacoides vegetation with the red alga Bostrychia scorpioides to the separate association Bostrychio-Halimionetum portulacoidis (Corillion 1953) R.Tx. 1963. Although B. scorpioides was recorded occasionally here, there is no substantial floristic reason for distinguishing samples containing this species as even a sub-community within the Halimionetum. The three following subcommunities are, however, quite distinct.

Sub-community with Halimione portulacoides dominant.

In this most species-poor sub-community, H. portulacoides always has high cover values (usually >90%) and there is usually a sparse undercover of Puccinellia maritima and some Suaeda maritima. The H. portulacoides may be present as a low or tall even-topped canopy or as discrete hemispherical bushes 1–2 m diameter and up to 50 cm high.