Title
West Carpathian spruce forests (Picea abies), partly with Abies alba, with Luzula luzulina, Soldanella carpatica, often in combination with tall-herb-spruce forests
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Poland: west Carpathians (as a marking altitudinal belt): Silesian Beskids, High Beskids (especially Babia Gora), Gorce, Radziejowa, Jaworzyna, Tatra; Slovakia: High Tatra, Lower Tatra
area frequency
14 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
a) on silicate: Plagiothecio-Piceetum tatricum J. Matuszkiewicz 1977 (syn.: Piceetum tatricum myrtilletosum Szafer, Pawłowski & Kułczyński 1923, Piceetum tatricum subnormale Medwecka-Kornas 1955); b) on lime: Polysticho-Piceetum (W. Matuszkiewicz 1967 n.n.) J. Matuszkiewicz Matuszkiewicz 1977 (syn.: Piceetum tatricum normale Szafer, Pawłowski & Kułczyński 1923).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Four-layered forest stands with dominant spruce (Picea abies) in the tree layer (cover 60-90%), with small admixtures of other tree species, an insignificant shrub layer, and a relatively densely occluded herb layer (70-90 %) with dominant acidophytes; dwarf shrubs, grasses, gramineous species and sometimes tall herbs and ferns are frequent. The moss layer is well developed and species-rich (cover 50-80 %), mainly in the form of bryophytes.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Picea abies predominating, lower and alterating admixture of Larix decidua, Pinus cembra, Pinus sylvestris, Abies alba (more rarely), Sorbus aucuparia subsp. glabrata, Acer pseudoplatanus
Shrub layer
Lonicera nigra, Rosa pendulina, locally Pinus mugo
Herb layer
a, b) Deschampsia flexuosa, Dryopteris dilatata, Homogyne alpina, Oxalis acetosella, Vaccinium myrtillus, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Calamagrostis villosa, Vaccinium vitis-idaea (locally), Luzula sylvatica, Luzula luzulina, Luzula pilosa, Blechnum spicant, Soldanella hungarica subsp. hungarica, Melica nutans, Luzula luzuloides, Equisetum sylvaticum, Listera cordata, Huperzia selago, Lycopodium annotinum, Melampyrum sylvaticum; locally Athyrium distentifolium, Athyrium filix-femina, Cicerbita alpina;
b) Polystichum lonchitis, Asplenium viride, Moneses uniflora, Lamium galeobdolon, Clematis alpina, Valeriana tripteris, Viola biflora, Soldanella carpatica, Cardamine glanduligera, Gentiana asclepiadea, Polygonatum verticillatum, Campanula polymorpha
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Dicranum scoparium, Pleurozium schreberi, Polytrichum formosum; Plagiothecium undulatum (silicate community), Mnium spinosum (lime community), Hypnum cupressiforme, Polytrichum strictum, Polytrichum juniperinum, Cetraria islandica, Hylocomium splendens, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus
Diagnostically important species
Plagiothecio-Piceetum: differential species of the association: Luzula luzulina, Soldanella carpatica; high constant character/alliance/order Picea abies, Dryopteris dilatata, Homogyne alpina, Plagiothecium undulatum, Vaccinium myrtillus; Polysticho-Picetum: character-/differential species of the association (within altimontane altitudes): Polystichum lonchitis, Mnium spinosum, Moneses uniflora, Corallorrhiza trifida (the three last-mentioned also in the Abieti-Piceetum carpaticum of the lower montane altitude!). high constant character/alliance/order Picea abies, Dryopteris dilatata, Homogyne alpina, Listera cordata, Luzula sylvatica, Lycopodium annotinum, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea. Differential species towards the Plagiothecio-Piceetum: Athyrium filix-femina, Fragaria vesca, Hieracium murorum, Mycelis muralis, Veronica officinalis and several Querco-Fagetea-species, for instance Carex digitata, Cardamine glanduligera, Dryopteris filix-mas, Epilobium montanum, Lamium galeobdolon, Phyteuma spicatum among others
Ecological variants
The unit contains at least two very different substrate-conditioned associations in Poland which in the altimontane belt of the western Carpathians can both be understood as climatically stable communities; they can not be depicted separately on the map.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Slovakia: at higher altitudes of the High Tatra with Pinus cembra; Poland: The Polysticho-Piceetum is only fully developed in the West Tatra where it may determine the landscape; otherwise only hints occur at the highest altitudes of the Lesser Peninen.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Slovakia: Deschampsio flexuosae-Piceetum, Luzulo pilosae-Piceetum, Sphagno acutifolii-Piceetum, Sphagno-Piceetum, Mastigobryo-Piceetum, Fago-Piceetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine grasslands (B45), dwarf pine scrubs (C17), mixed fir forests (D27), species-rich beech- and mixed beech forests (F120, F135), raised bogs (S10).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Poland: usually managed naturally, frequently treated as protection forest; used above all for forestry; Slovakia: commercial forests with Picea abies, maybe Picea plantations.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Poland: small areas of pasture meadows of the Polygono-Trisetion; Slovakia: Nardetum montanum Sillinger 1933, Nardo-Agrostidion tenuis Sillinger 1933.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
only scattered holiday, mountain, hunting or forestry huts etc.; small areas of Rumicetum alpini, little studied ruderal communities with Totorta officinalis, Alchemilla spp. etc.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
High-mountains with varying relief forms
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
altimontane; 1100-1500 (1600) m
Geology (bedrock)
granites, gneiss; flysch-sandstone; grano-diorits, limestone; andesite (Tertiary, Triassic, Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
Poland: Plagiothecio-Piceetum: ferrum-humus podzole, podzole-ranker, occasionally gley-podzole. Polysticho-Piceetum: mull-like humus carbonate soil, subalpine humus carbonate soil and similar; Slovakia: podzolic brown soils; (orthic and gleyic podzols; stony dystric cambisols; rendzic leptosols)
soil texture
stone-rich and stony soils as well as sandy and sandy-clayey-loamy soils
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moist
soil reaction
strongly to weakly acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic to meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI9b, VI(X)b, X
average annual temperature
Poland: 1-4 °C; Slovakia: 3-7 °C
average annual precipitation
Poland: 1300-2300 mm; Slovakia: 1000- 1400 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
Poland: July: 9-13 °C; Slovakia: 16-18 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
Poland: January -8 to -6 °C; Slovakia: -4 to -2 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
cool to very cool mountain climate, frequent storms.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Poland: the altitude-zonal climax-community was preserved quite well in many places until recently, but is now greatly endangered. A characteristic and protection worthy community in its entire area of distribution; Slovakia: potentially endangered by pollutant emissions. Importance for nature conservation: Carpathian spruce forest type, biotope of more important species, a water and soil protective function (semi-natural vegetation 50 %).
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Slovakia: Listera cordata, Huperzia selago, Lycopodium annotinum, Soldanella hungarica, Soldanella carpatica, Cardamine glanduligera.
causes of endangerment
increasing pollution due to industrial emissions.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Poland: in all above mentioned areas there are well preserved representable stands; some of which are protected in the national parks of Babia Gora, Gorce and Tatra; Slovakia: TANAP National park - High Tatras.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Matuszkiewicz 1977; Medwecka-Kornaś 1955; Pawłowski, Sokołowski & Wallisch 1928; Sillinger 1933; Šoltés 1976; Szafer, Pawłowski & Kułczyński 1923; Szafer, Pawłowski & Kułczyński 1927; Zlatník 1959
Compiled by
W. Matuszkiewicz, Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by J. Michalko
