Title
Subatlantic-Central European Melica uniflora- and Milium effusum-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica), partly with Quercus petraea, with Lamium galeobdolon, Galium odoratum, locally with Ilex aquifolium
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
northeast France: Ardennes-spurs, northernmost Alsace; Belgium: northern foreland of the Ardennes; Germany: southern Münsterland, Niederrheinische Bucht, Rhine-Main-region, upper Rhine, flat in the northeastern foreland of the low mountain range; Poland: southwestern part of the country: Sudetes-foreland, Lower Silesia, Katzengebirge, Oppeln-Ratibor-hilly country, lower Warthe
area frequency
32 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Melico-Fagetum Lohmeyer ap. Seibert 1954, Milio-Fagetum Hesmer & Schroeder 1963, non Frehner 1963; Galio-Fagetum Rübel 1930 ex Sougnez & Thill 1959 em. Dierschke 1989.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Tall growing, two-layered beech cathedral forests without a specific shrub layer, a completely covering and often grass-rich herb layer (hemicryptophytes, geophytes), and an absent moss layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica dominating, isolated stem-wise interspersed Quercus robur (subatlantic northwestern part), Quercus petraea (moderate continental eastern part), Fraxinus excelsior, Prunus avium, Carpinus betulus (in the underwood)
Shrub layer
Young growth of the beech, Carpinus betulus, sporadically Corylus avellana, Crataegus laevigata, Viburnum opulus, Euonymus europaea, Crataegus monogyna
Lianas
scattered Hedera helix
Herb layer
Galium odoratum, Melica uniflora, Milium effusum, Lamium galeobdolon, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Carex sylvatica, Dryopteris filix-mas, Viola reichenbachiana, Stellaria holostea, Dactylis polygama, Convallaria majalis, Polygonatum multiflorum, Circaea lutetiana, Athyrium filix-femina; in eutraphent formations: Arum maculatum, Allium ursinum, Primula elatior, Adoxa moschatellina, Ranunculus ficaria, Pulmonaria obscura, Corydalis cava, Corydalis solida, Mercurialis perennis, Gagea lutea, Anemone ranunculoides; the soil vegetation of the Milio-Fagetum is restricted to Milium effusum, Hedera helix, Polygonatum multiflorum, Anemone nemorosa, Poa nemoralis, Oxalis acetosella, Deschampsia flexuosa, Phyteuma spicatum, Maianthemum bifolium
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
sparsely Mnium hornum, Dicranella heteromalla, Atrichum undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica; Carpinus betulus; Galium odoratum, Melica uniflora; Lamium galeobdolon, Phyteuma spicatum, Polygonatum multiflorum, Stellaria holostea, Hedera helix, Dactylis polygama, Anemone nemorosa, Carex sylvatica, Dryopteris filix-mas, Milium effusum, Poa nemoralis, Scrophularia nodosa, Viola reichenbachiana
Ecological variants
Poor, rich and moist forms.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Stands at Szprotawa in lower Silesia are characterised by Cardamine enneaphyllos and transcend into the Sudetian Dentario enneaphylli-Fagetum.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Maianthemo-Fagetum, Adoxo-Aceretum, Stellario-Carpinetum, Galio-Carpinetum, Carici remotae-Fraxinetum, Pruno-Fraxinetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
soil-acidic oak forests (F11, F12), oak-hornbeam forests (F34, F35, F42a, F50), species-poor beech forests (F77, F78, F79, F80, F83), species-rich beech forests (F110, F111, F113, F119, F125), alder carrs (T1), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U24).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Communal or private forests are managed mostly as middle forest: secondary oak-hornbeam forests. Forestry often aligned towards oak and ash; beech forests usually managed as high forest with an approximately 100 year rotation time. Often Rubus idaeus-spruce (and pine) plantations; Prunetalia scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Bocage pastures in Belgium (Lolio-Cynosuretum); Arrhenatherion meadows are found from place to place in small areas. On moister sites there are Calthion meadows and Lolio-Cynosuretum pastures.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Root crop and cereal fields: rye/wheat, sugar beet, corn, rape (Fumarietum officinalis, Aphano-Matricarietum, Spergulo-Chrysanthemetum segetum, locally Lycopsietum arvensis, Papaveretum argemone), chamomile and fumitory communities, loose silky-bent communities.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
In villages Urtico-Malvetum neglectae, Lolio-Plantaginetum, Leonuro-Arctietum tomentosi, Tanaceto-Artemisietum vulgaris amongst others.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Mainly flat lowlands (loess "Boerde“ landscapes)
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland; up to 250 m
Geology (bedrock)
Till (Saaleeiszeit), bluff formation and sandbluff formation; fluviatile sediments (Holocene, Pleistocene)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
base-rich brown soils, parabrown soils, locally humus carbonate soil, para-humus carbonate soil; (eutric cambisols; orthic luvisols; rendzic leptosols)
soil texture
sandy to clayey loam
soil moisture, water balance
fresh, locally periodically moist
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2, VI5a, VI7b, VI7c
average annual temperature
7-10 EC
average annual precipitation
550-850 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July/August 16-20 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
Germany: January -1 to +3 EC; Poland: -3 to -1 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
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Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Endangered; only a few semi-natural stands remain preserved; endangered at all localities by increasing environmental pollution (fertiliser eutrophication and pollution).
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All natural forest communities.
causes of endangerment
Cutting and clearing of forests for roadways and construction, transformation of semi-natural forests into plantations, changing of usage, changes in soil structure, air pollution (contamination by nutrients and pollutants), eutrophication of the landscape.
required measures for protection and restitution
General environmental stress (particularly air pollutants), preservation of remnants by various types of protective measures.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Germany: primeval forest reserve Ostenberg, primeval forest reserve Altwald Ville (North Rhine-Westphalia); forest area east of Oppershofen, Am Schildberg (Hessen); Poland: so far only a few nature reserves, e. g. near Sprottau (poln. Szprotawa), "Lubsza" north of Brieg (poln. Brzeg), "Zloty Potok" near Czenstochau (poln. Cz“stochowa).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
Germany: primeval forest reserve Rieseberg (Lower Saxony).
Most important references (author, year)
Bornebusch 1923–1925; Burrichter & Wittig 1977; Dierschke 1989; Jeschke 1964; Kielland-Lund 1981; Krause & Schröder 1979; Lindgren 1970; Lindquist 1931; Matuszkiewicz & Matuszkiewicz 1973; Müller Th. 1992; Påhlsson (Ed.) 1994; Passarge 1964b; Passarge & Hofmann 1968; Sissingh 1970; Sougnez 1954; Sougnez 1957; Sougnez 1967a; Sougnez 1969; Sougnez 1978
Compiled by
A. Noirfalise; U. Bohn; H. Schlüter; W. Matuszkiewicz
