Vegetation of mesic hay meadows and pastures in the Asiago Plateau (south-eastern Prealps, Veneto, Italy)

The vegetation of mesic mown meadows and areas under summer cattle pastures in the prealpine carbonatic Asiago Plateau was surveyed through 114 original phytosociological relevés that were collected according to the Braun-Blanquet approach. A further 12 vegetation-plots come from the literature, totalling 126 relevés analysed. Cluster analysis was first applied to local stands before being applied in a comparison of the resulting relevé groups to selected associations from the alpine range, allowing the recognition of several associations/plant communities. Mesic hay meadows belong to the associations Holcetum lanati, Ranunculo repentis-Alopecuretum subass. anthriscetosum and the widespread Centaureo carniolicae-Arrhenatheretum. Within the latter, the new meso-xeric subassociation Centaureo carniolicae-Arrhenatheretum avenuletosum pubescentis is described. Some examples of mountain hay meadows (Centaureo transalpinae-Trisetetum flavescentis) which are declining just about everywhere in the Alps were also discovered. Mat-grass grazings were classified into Festuca stricta/sulcata-Nardus community and Homogyno alpinae-Nardetum. The most common pasture type with dominating Festuca rubra agg. and Cynosurus cristatus grasses still has not an appropriate syntaxonomic classification.