This alliance includes shrub communities on mineral soils dominated by Pinus mugo in the subalpine belt of the Hercynian mountains, Carpathians, Dinaric and Bulgarian mountains, and also some stands of Pinus mugo in the Eastern Alps. In the Hercynian mountains Pinus mugo scrub occurs on nutrient-poor siliceous rocks, which results in low species richness and predominance of acidophytes in the herb layer. In the Czech Republic natural stands of Pinus mugo are widespread in the Krkonoše Mountains and a few sites occur also in the Šumava Mountains. In addition, Pinus mugo has been planted in some other mountain areas.