On beaches, there is generally the vegetational zonation distributed into five zones in order of drift line communities, dune grasslands, dune dwarf shrubs, dune scrub and dune forest in the direction from shoreline toward inland. In the warm-temperate zone between the central Honshu and Kyusyu, Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) forests are commonly deployed in zones of dune scrub and dune forest. Because most Japanese black pine forests are planted by artificial means, other plant communities originally existed in the distribution areas of those forests. In this study, we investigated the distribution of dune scrub that remains on the beaches. The results show that Quercus phillyraeoides communities are recognized as dune scrub. Species composition of Quercus phillyraeoides communities on beaches was similar to those on rocky seashores, where Quercus phillyraeoides communities are commonly distributed. It is suggested that Pittosporo-Quercetum phillyraeoidis is one of the natural vegetation in distribution areas of Japanese black pine forests on beaches between Izu Peninsula and Tanegashima Island.
