Plant species of the Serra da Estrela (Portugal)

I visited the Serra da Estrela from July 28th till August 6th 2009 with the Field Study Group of the Dutch Mammal Society. Unfortunately, the end of July and the beginning of August are not very suitable for a plant survey of a southern European region. Nevertheless I recorded 211 different species.

On this page you will find (click to jump):

• Used identification keys on the flora of the areas we visited
• A short impression of this Botanical Journey
• A list of all recorded species

Useful identification keys

• J. Jansen: Geobotanical guide of the Serra da Estrela (Lisboa 2002).
• J.A. Devesa, R. Gonzalo and A. Herrero (eds.): Flora Iberica (Madrid 2005).

Impression of this BotanicalJourney

Serra da Estrela ("Star-Mountain"), in the central-east of Portugal, is the most western part of an east-west stretched mountain range, called the Central Range. An area of about 100,000 hectares is declared a Natural Park. Serra da Estrela Natural Park is situated roughly in the area between the towns of Seia, Gouveia, Guarda and Covilhã and holds the highest mountain peak on the Portuguese mainland. The "Torre" has an altitude of 1,993 meters above sea level. Several well-maintained roads give access to the area, even up to the highest regions. The mountains consist mainly of granite rock, but on the slopes also schists can be found. Because of the variety in altitude a lot of different landscape types can be found in Serra da Estrela.

The highest parts of the Park consist of bare rocks covered with a dwarf shrub vegetation, or sometimes without any vegetation at all. On the rocks near a viewpoint called "Miradouro do Cântaro Magro" (Google map) I found Senecio pyrenaicus (see picture) and Armeria sampaioi. Bogs, wet grasslands and small lakes are formed where water stagnates, like at the water reservoir "Lagoa Comprida" at an altitude of about 1,600 meters above sea level. This proved to be one of the most valuable areas for plants. It is easy to get there: just drive all the way up, park your car at the parking and follow the path all the way up (Google map with route).

After a walk of about 15 minutes you see boggy areas on your right hand side. I found flowering specimens of Veratrum album here, together with hundreds of specimens of Gentiana pneumonanthe. The place was crowded with Tree frogs (Hyla arborea) as well. You can continue the path for a very long time. It leads through spectacular barren landscape and shows you Sedum brevifolium, Dianthus lusitanicus, Wahlenbergia hederacea and Campanula herminii (see picture).

The slopes of the mountain are usually very steep. Shrub vegetation can be found here and on the lower parts both pine-forests and deciduous forests are present. As is the case for many parts of Portugal these areas are under constant threat of fires. In recent years the entire vegetation has disappeared at some locations. However in the surroundings of Lapa dos Dinheiros a forest with very old chestnut trees still can be found (Google map).

Several small rivers run down the mountain, providing nature and humans with valuable water. The rivers are an important ecological connection between the lower parts of the park and the higher areas. Agriculture, mostly the production of potatoes and rye, takes place on small fields that are often situated on terraces. On suitable places vineyards can be found as well, but not all vineyards are used for the production of wine and port anymore. Throughout the Natural Park, specimens of Wahlenbergia hederacea (see picture) can be found in damp and shadowed places. This species is almost extinct in the Netherlands.
 

List of the recorded plant species

Acacia dealbata
Acer negundo
Acer pseudoplatanus
Agrostis castellana
Ailanthus altissima
Allium sphaerocephalon subsp. sphaerocephalon
Alnus glutinosa
Anarrhinum bellidifolium
Angelica major
Angelica sylvestris
Anthemis arvensis
Apium nodiflorum
Armeria sampaioi
Arnica montana subsp. atlantica
Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. carpetanum
Arum italicum
Asphodelus albus
Asplenium septentrionale subsp. septentrionale
Asterolinon linum-stellatum
Betula celtiberica
Briza maxima
Bryonia dioica
Calluna vulgaris
Campanula herminii
Campanula lusitanica
Campanula rapunculus
Carduus carpetanus
Carex echinata
Carex nigra subsp. iberica
Castanea sativa
Centaurea sect. Paniculata
Chelidonium majus
Chrysosplenium oppositifolium
Cirsium palustre
Cirsium vulgare
Cistus psilosepalus
Clinopodium vulgare subsp. vulgare
Convolvulus arvensis subsp. arvensis
Corynephorus canescens
Crataegus monogyna (incl. subsp. brevispina)
Crepis capillaris
Cryptogramma crispa
Cucumis melo
Cymbalaria muralis
Cynara cardunculus
Cytisus multiflorus
Cytisus oromediterraneus
Cytisus scoparius subsp. scoparius
Cytisus striatus
Dactylis glomerata subsp. hispanica
Daucus carota subsp. carota
Deschampsia flexuosa subsp. iberica
Dianthus lusitanus
Digitalis purpurea subsp. carpetana
Digitalis purpurea subsp. purpurea
Digitalis thapsi
Doronicum pubescens
Drosera rotundifolia
Dryopteris dilatata
Dryopteris filix-mas
Echinochloa crus-galli
Echinospartum ibericum subsp. pulviniformis
Echium lusitanicum
Echium plantagineum
Erica arborea
Erica australis (incl. subsp. aragonensis)
Erica cinerea
Erigeron karvinskianus
Erodium cicutarium
Erophila verna
Eryngium tenue
Eucalyptus globulus
Euphorbia helioscopia subsp. helioscopia
Fagus sylvatica
Falopia convolvulus
Ficus carica
Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum
Fragaria vesca
Frangula alnus
Fraxinus angustifolia
Fritillaria nervosa subsp. nervosa
Galactites tomentosa
Galinsoga parviflora
Galium album subsp. album
Galium aparine
Galium mollugo
Genista anglica
Genista cinerascens
Gentiana pneumonanthe (incl. var. minor)
Geranium molle
Geranium robertianum subsp. robertianum
Geum urbanum
Glechoma hederacea
Halimium lasianthum subsp. alyssoides
Hedera helix subsp. helix
Helichrysum stoechas subsp. stoechas
Heracleum sphondylium subsp. sphondylium
Hieracium castellanum
Hispidella hispanica
Holcus lanatus
Hydrocotyle vulgaris
Hypericum humifusum
Hypericum perforatum s.l.
Hypochaeris radicata
Ilex aquifolium
Iris pseudacorus
Jasione montana
Juncus bulbosus
Juncus effusus
Juncus heterophyllus
Juniperus communis subsp. alpina
Juniperus oxycedrus
Lamium maculatum
Lapsana communis
Lavandula stoechas subsp. luisieri
Leontodon hispidus subsp. bourgaeanus
Leontodon taraxacoides subsp. longirostris
Leucanthemum sylvaticum
Linaria saxatilis subsp. saxatilis
Lolium perenne
Lonicera periclymenum subsp. periclymenum
Lotus corniculatus subsp. corniculatus
Lotus pedunculatus
Luzula campestris subsp. carpetana
Luzula forsteri
Lycopus europaeus
Lythrum salicaria
Malus domestica
Malus sylvestris
Malva neglecta
Malva sylvestris
Matricaria discoidea
Mentha suaveolens
Menyanthes trifoliata
Molinia caerulea
Murbeckiella sousae
Olea europaea subsp. europaea
Origanum vulgare
Oxalis corniculata
Parietaria judaica
Parietaria lusitanica subsp. lusitanica
Pentaglottis sempervirens
Phragmites australis
Pinus nigra subsp. laricio
Pinus sylvestris
Plantago bellardi
Plantago coronopus subsp. coronopus
Plantago lanceolata
Plantago major
Platanus hispanica
Poa annua
Polygonum persicaria
Polypodium interjectum
Polypodium vulgare
Populus nigra
Potentilla erecta (incl. var. herminii)
Prunella vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
Prunus domestica
Prunus lusitanica subsp. lusitanica
Prunus persica
Pteridium aquilinum subsp. aquilinum
Pterospartum tridentatum subsp. cantabricum
Quercus pyrenaica
Quercus robur
Ranunculus omiophyllus
Reseda gredensis
Rumex acetosella subsp. angiocarpus
Rumex obtusifolius
Ruscus aculeatus
Sambucus nigra
Sanguisorba minor subsp. balearica
Saxifraga spathularis
Scolymus hispanicus
Sedum arenarium
Sedum brevifolium
Sedum maireanum
Senecio jacobaea
Senecio pyrenaicus subsp. caespitosus
Sibthorpia europaea
Silene acutifolia
Silene nutans
Silene vulgaris
Solanum nigrum subsp. nigrum
Sonchus oleraceus
Sorbus aucuparia
Sparganium angustifolium
Spergularia rubra subsp. rubra
Stachys arvensis
Stipa gigantea
Teesdalia nudicaulis
Teucrium salviastrum
Thymus mastichina
Torilis arvensis subsp. purpurea
Trifolium arvense
Trifolium repens
Trifolium resupinatum
Ulex europaeus subsp. latebracteatus
Ulex minor
Umbilicus rupestris
Urtica dioica
Vaccinium uliginosum subsp. gaultherioides
Veratrum album
Verbascum pulverulentum
Verbascum sinuatum
Veronica linkiana
Viola palustris (incl. subsp. juressi)
Viola riviniana
Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera
Wahlenbergia hederacea
Zea mays