Title
South Scandinavian-north Central European Galium odoratum- and Milium effusum-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica), partly with Fraxinus excelsior, partly with Stellaria nemorum subsp. montana, Luzula sylvatica, Polygonatum verticillatum, Ranunculus lanuginosus, Cardamine bulbifera
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Denmark; south Sweden; northeast Germany: young Pleistocene moraine landscapes in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Hitherpomerania and north Brandenburg; Poland: Pomeranian lake district, lower Warthe, lower Weichsel, Ermland, western Masuria
area frequency
76 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Melico-Fagetum balticum (compare Passarge 1964), Fraxino-Fagetum Scamoni (1954) 1956, 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. Fagus sylvatica-Lamiastrum galeobdolon-Melica uniflora type (Påhlsson, ed.), Fagus sylvatica-Ilex aquifolium variant (Påhlsson, ed.), Melico-Fagetum Kielland-Lund 1973, 1981; Dentario-Fagetum Kielland-Lund 1981.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Two-layered, tall-growing beech cathedral forests, without a specific shrub layer (usually absent or only sporadic), a very contiguous and often grass-rich herb layer (hemicryptophytes, geophytes), and a usually absent moss layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica dominating, locally interspersed Quercus petraea, Tilia cordata, Carpinus betulus
Shrub layer
Young growth of the beech, sporadically Corylus avellana, Crataegus laevigata, Ilex aquifolium (west Denmark)
Lianas
Hedera helix (rarely)
Herb layer
Galium odoratum, Melica uniflora, Milium effusum, Lamium galeobdolon, Stellaria nemorum subsp. montana, Polygonatum verticillatum, Polygonatum multiflorum, Cardamine bulbifera, Anemone nemorosa, Phyteuma spicatum, Oxalis acetosella, Festuca altissima, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Convallaria majalis, Carex sylvatica, Dryopteris filix-mas, Viola reichenbachiana, Poa nemoralis, Stellaria holostea, Corydalis cava, Hepatica nobilis, Allium ursinum (locally)
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
sparsely Mnium hornum, Dicranella heteromalla, Atrichum undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica; Galium odoratum, Melica uniflora, Cardamine bulbifera, Festuca altissima, Lamium galeobdolon, Polygonatum multiflorum, Polygonatum verticillatum, Stellaria holostea, Hedera helix, Hepatica nobilis, Anemone nemorosa, Carex digitata, Carex sylvatica, Dryopteris filix-mas, Lathyrus vernus, Milium effusum, Poa nemoralis, Scrophularia nodosa, Viola reichenbachiana
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Northernmost "boreomontane" distribution area (northeast Ruegen): Cardamine bulbifera, Festuca altissima; eastern subcontinental region: Quercus petraea, Hepatica nobilis, Melica nutans, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Dactylis polygama.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Deschampsio-Fagetum, Populo-Quercetum, Maianthemo-Fagetum, Festuco-Fagetum, Adoxo-Aceretum, Stellario-Carpinetum, Carici remotae-Fraxinetum, Pruno-Fraxinetum, alder carrs (Carici elongatae-Alnetum), minerotrophic and mostly base-rich fens, ombrotrophic mires (raised bogs).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pine forests (D54), coastal heaths (E10), soil-acidic oak forests (F8, F9, F11, F12), oak-hornbeam forests (F35, F37, F38, F41, F57), species-poor beech forests (F77, F78, F79, F80), species-rich beech forests (F109), oak and pine-oak forests (G1), dune vegetation (P4, P5), salt vegetation (P22), raised bogs (S8, S9), tree-rich raised bogs (S12), alder carrs (T1), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U24, U28).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Deciduous forest mostly managed as high (timber) forest with an approximately 100-year rotation time; sometimes the pine or the sessile oak are strongly favoured. Also Rubus idaeus spruce and pine forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures (Lolio-Cynosuretum) and Arrhenatherion meadows; on moister sites Calthion meadows.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Root crop and cereal fields: rye/wheat, potatoes, often rape, turnips (Fumarietum officinalis, Aphano-Matricarietum, Papaveretum argemone, Spergulo-Chrysanthemetum segetum, locally Lycopsietum arvensis), chamomile and fumitory communities, loose silky-bent communities. Galinsogo-Setarietum in over-fertilised fields near villages.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Pleistocene lowlands: Hilly landscape of young moraines from times when the Baltic was frozen over.
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland; up to 250 m
Geology (bedrock)
till, bluff formation and sand-bluff formation (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 and gleyic luvisols; rendzic leptosols)
soil texture
sandy to clayey loams, strongly loamy sands (in special cases)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry, locally moist
soil reaction
moderately to weakly acidic (neutral)
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI1, VI2, VI9a
average annual temperature
7-8,5 EC
average annual precipitation
500-800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 16-20 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -1 to 1 EC; -3 to 0 EC (Poland)
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)
Although there are still many semi-natural stands, this community is endangered in all its localities by increasing environmental pollution; it is especially worthy of protection as a characteristic community in the marginal zones of its range; without protection it is threatened by transformation into spruce plantations.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All units.
causes of endangerment
Clearing and cutting of forests, transformation of semi-natural forests into plantations, changes in usage, air pollutants, eutrophication of the landscape, ruderalisation.
required measures for protection and restitution
General environmental stress (particularly air pollutants), preservation of semi-natural stands by various forms of protective measures is necessary (e.g. establishment of protected areas, total reservations).
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Sweden: forests in the surroundings of Övedskloster, Scania ("Skarhults ängar"); Hästhagen Svaneholm, Scania; Bökenäset, Oppmanna, Scania; Germany: Horstkoppel (planned primeval forest reserve), district south of Stocksee (planned primeval forest reserve), Steinkampsholz (planned primeval forest reserve) (Schleswig-Holstein), nature reserve "Wittenhagen", nature reserve "Kronwald", national park "Jasmund", nature reserve "Heilige Hallen" and nature reserve "Feldberger Hütte" (Mecklenburg-Hitherpomerania), nature reserve "Fauler Ort" in the biosphere reserve "Schorfheide" (Brandenburg); Poland: Pomerania, especially: large forest complex south of Stettin, some reserves in "Kashoub Switzerland" near Karthaus and in the surroundings of Elbing, as well as the easternmost occurrence near Rössel (forest district Sadlowo); mostly nature reserves.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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 1978
Compiled by
L. Påhlsson; P. Vestergaard; U. Bohn; H. Schlüter; W. Matuszkiewicz
