Piceo-Sorbetum is dominated by Sorbus aucuparia, growing mostly as a shrub, which is accompanied by other woody plants tolerant to nutrient-poor soils, such as Betula pendula, Picea abies and Rubus idaeus. The herb layer consists of acidophilous grasses, dwarf shrubs and dicot herbs. This is a short-lived community occuring on clearings of acidophilous beech forests or spruce plantations in the submontane and montane belts, where it is being gradually replaced by successional stands of birch or spruce. In some places it is also found on rock outcrops and talus slopes or on successional sites in the open landscape.