Study on the psammophytic grasslands along River Maritsa in the Thracian Lowland, Bulgaria.

This paper presents the results of the first phytocoenological analysis of psammophytic semi-ruderal vegetation on the alluvial terraces of River Maritsa in the Thracian Lowland, Bulgaria. During the field study, new syntaxa for Bulgaria have been found. The new alliance for Bulgaria, Salsolion ruthenicae (class Digitario sanguinalis-Eragrostietea minoris), is represented by the association Erysimo diffusi-Cynodontetum dactylontis, which is widespread on the sand deposits in the river's floodplain. A comparatively high level of ruderalisation influences the communities on the alluvial sands. The species composition of the communities reveals a mixture of perennial species (Cynodon dactylon, Bothriochloa ischaemum, Eryngium campestre), annual psammophytes (Plantago arenaria, Silene conica, Lomelosia argentea) and nitrophilous species, including neophytes (Portulaca oleracea, Tragus racemosus, Erigeron canadensis). The communities in this association differ from those in Central Europe and this has prompted the description of a new subassociation (Poaetosum bulbosae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]