High-altitude vegetation of the Western Carpathians — a syntaxonomical review

This paper presents a survey of high-altitude plant communities which occur in the Western Carpathians with an enumeration of the characteristic, transgressive and differential species of the individual alliances, orders and classes. It describes the tall-herb vegetation (Mulgedio-Aconitetea) and communities of the subalpine shrubs (Betulo carpaticae-Alnetea viridis), the montane and alpine calcareous swards (Elyno-Seslerietea), the wind-exposed cryophilous swards on ridge edges with low snow cover (Carici rupestris-Kobresietea bellardii), the chionophilous communities of snow beds and snow fields (Salicetea herbaceae), the arctic-boreal dwarf-shrub heathlands (Loiseleurio-Vaccinietea), the alpine acidophilous grasslands (Caricetea curvulae) and the high-mountain mat-grass swards of the alliance Nardion strictae (Nardetea strictae).