Title
Central European acidophilous, moss-rich fir-forests (Abies alba) with Picea abies, with Vaccinium myrtillus, Deschampsia flexuosa, Luzula luzuloides, Hieracium murorum agg.
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: Black Forest; Poland: relief-conditioned local community, small-scaled scattered in the Sudetes and Carpates (not on the map); Czech Republic; Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (not on the map); Croatia
area frequency
6 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Vaccinio-Abietetum Oberdorfer 1957; Abieti-Piceetum montanum Szafer, Pawłowski & Kułczyński 1923 em. J. M. Matuszkiewicz 1977.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Germany (Black forest): high-growing forests; apart from the fir the spruce is the most important tree species, the proportion of which increases with increasing altitude. The beech is added only sparsely. The field layer is dominated by Vaccinium myrtillus, Deschampsia flexuosa and mosses. Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina: acidophilous spruce forests with added beech, a weakly developed shrub layer, a herb layer of undemanding acidophilous species, a moss layer with species of montane coniferous forests.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Abies alba dominating, admixed Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica, Sorbus aucuparia, Betula pubescens s. l.
Shrub layer
Sambucus racemosa, Frangula alnus, Sorbus aucuparia, Rubus hirtus
Herb layer
Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Deschampsia flexuosa, Calluna vulgaris, Pteridium aquilinum, Oxalis acetosella, Dryopteris dilatata, Galium saxatile, Agrostis capillaris, Luzula sylvatica, Luzula luzuloides, Luzula pilosa, Melampyrum sylvaticum; Poland additionally: Luzula luzulina, Homogyne alpina; Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina additionally: Melampyrum pratense subsp. commutatum, Gentiana asclepiadea, Festuca heterophylla, Prenanthes purpurea, Hieracium rotundatum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Polytrichum formosum, Dicranum scoparium, Pleurozium schreberi, Bazzania trilobata, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Plagiothecium undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Abies alba, Picea abies; Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Melampyrum sylvaticum, Pteridium aquilinum, Deschampsia flexuosa, Luzula luzuloides, Luzula sylvatica, Blechnum spicant, Dryopteris dilatata, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Bazzania trilobata, Plagiothecium undulatum; additionally Poland: Homogyne alpina, Luzula luzulina
Ecological variants
locally intermittently moist formation types with Molinia caerulea, peat-mosses (Sphagnum girgensohnii etc.)
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Germany: vicariants of the eastern Black Forest with Galium saxatile, Ilex aquifolium, Digitalis purpurea. Bohemian forest formation types with Calamagrostis villosa. Poland: two geographic strains: the Sudeten form (Galium saxatile, Melampyrum sylvaticum) and the Carpathian form (Luzula luzulina, Soldanella carpatica, Soldanella hungarica); Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina: Illyrian strain (Hieracium rotundatum).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Germany: bedstraw-fir forest (Galio rotundifolii-Abietetum), woodrush-fir-beech forest (Luzulo-Fagetum with Abies alba), wood fescue-fir-beech forest (Abieti-Fagetum).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
species-poor beech forests (F87, F93, F95), species-rich beech forests (F116, F131), tree-rich raised bogs (S11).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Germany: Dicranum-, Vaccinium myrtillus and Deschampsia flexuosa spruce plantations, pine plantations.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Geranio-Trisetetum, Meo-Festucetum, Scirpetum sylvatici; Pastures: Alchemillo-Cynosuretum; siliceous short-grass meadows: Festuco-Genistetum sagittalis; Poland: annually mown grass meadows (acid-soil formation types of Polygono-Trisetion communities), pastures (poorer formation types of the Festuco-Cynosuretum).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Germany: Cereal: Common rye with Galeopsio-Aphanetum; Root vegetables: Potatoes with Holco-Galiopsietum tetrahit. Poland: hardly used agriculturally.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Germany: high locations of silicate mountainous areas: plateaux and weakly inclined slopes; Poland: slopes and bases of deeply cut ravines and valleys
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
montane-altimontane; to 1100 m
Geology (bedrock)
acidic metamorphic and effusive rocks; granite, gneiss; sandstone, conglomerates (Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
Germany: podzolic brown soils, locally similigley to stagnogley; Poland: ranker and podzole with raw humus layer; (dystric cambisols; orthic podzols; dystric planosols; leptosols)
soil texture
sandy, loamy, grouany, stony
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to stagnanting moist
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(X)c; VI(X)b; VI(X)
average annual temperature
Germany: 5-8 °C; Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia- Herzegovina: 9-12 °C
average annual precipitation
750-2000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
Germany: 11-16 °C; Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina: July 20-22 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
Germany: -4 to -1 °C; Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia- Herzegovina: 0-1 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Poland: mostly Kaltluftrinnen and -basins.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Germany: semi-natural stands are rare; Poland: well preserved stands can often be found in small areas.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
transformation of semi-natural forests into spruce plantations; alteration and destruction of habitats, blown down over large areas.
required measures for protection and restitution
Germany: strict protection of the remaining semi-natural stands is necessary.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Germany: nature reserve Wilder See-Hornisgrinde (partly Bannwald), nature reserve Große Tannen (Baden-Württemberg); Poland: some well preserved stands among others protected in the national parks of the Riesengebirge, Babia Gora and Gorce.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Grüneberg & Schlüter 1957; Matuszkiewicz 1977; Medwecka-Kornaś 1955; Müller Th. & Oberdorfer 1974; Oberdorfer 1957; Schlüter 1961; Schlüter 1964a; Schlüter 1964c
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by H. Schlüter, M. Zupančič; W. Matuszkiewicz; U. Bohn
