Dianthus plumarius subsp. blandus - distribution and habitat features
Walter Köppl, University of Vienna (AT)
Dianthus plumarius subsp. blandus is confined to the NE-Alps. The plants in NP Gesäuse perform best in dolomite scree habitats on open, sunny, but well water-supplied sites. Besides mapping the many populations in NP Gesäuse vegetation relevés were collected in 2014 and 2015. The analysis showed that the pink carnation is essentially associated with plants of Thlaspietea rotundifolii, Asplenietea trichomanis, Seslerietea coerulae, and Erico-Pinetea. D. plumarius subsp. blandus thus struggles on the edge between the highly dynamic scree habitats and the pioneer grass- and dwarf shrub swards that are found often in a state of transition towards one of the locally dominant forest communities.