Title
Subatlantic-Central European Melica uniflora- or Galium odoratum- and Milium effusum-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica), partly with Galium sylvaticum
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Northeast France: large-scaled in Lothringia; south Luxemburg; southeast Belgium; Germany: northern and western low mountain range, west Thuringian Triassic-hilly country, Saxony-Anhalt, foreland of the Alps; Switzerland: central country; Austria: Rhine valley of Vorarlberg, lower sites od the Bregenz forest
area frequency
48 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Melico-Fagetum Tüxen 1960, Asperulo-Fagetum H. Mayer 1964, Milio-Fagetum Frehner 1963; Galio odorati-Fagetum Rübel 1930 ex Sougnez & Thill 1959 em. Dierschke 1989; Hordelymo- Fagetum (R. Tüxen 1937) Kuhn 1937 em. Jahn 1972 (syn.: Melico-Fagetum Lohmeyer & Seibert 1954).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
The beech dominates in the tree layer. Ash and sycamore may be added singly or as groups while other tree species such as sessile oak, field maple, hornbeam or large-leaved lime are rare and found in only certain forms. In semi-natural stands the shrub layer is almost completely absent. The well developed species-rich herb layer harbours mainly eutrophic and mesotrophic species. Acidophilous plants such as Luzula luzuloides, Polytrichum formosum are restricted to the poorest form that transcends to the Luzulo-Fagetum.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica dominating, stem- to group-wise interspersed Quercus petraea, Carpinus betulus (in the underwood), locally Fraxinus excelsior, Acer pseudoplatanus, Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides, Ulmus glabra, Prunus avium
Shrub layer
Young growth of trees, isolated Daphne mezereum, Lonicera xylosteum, Sambucus nigra, Sambucus racemosa, Rubus idaeus, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Viburnum opulus, Rosa arvensis, Corylus avellana, Cornus sanguinea, Euonymus europaea
Herb layer
eu- and mesotraphent mixed broad-leaved forest species: Melica uniflora, Galium odoratum, Lamium galeobdolon, Cardamine bulbifera, Viola reichenbachiana, Mercurialis perennis, Milium effusum, Carex sylvatica, Anemone nemorosa, Poa nemoralis, Neottia nidus-avis, Sanicula europaea, Hordelymus europaeus, Mycelis muralis, Actaea spicata, Campanula trachelium, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Polygonatum multiflorum, Phyteuma nigrum, Scrophularia nodosa, Paris quadrifolia, Epilobium montanum, Vicia sepium, Dryopteris filix-mas; lowland species: Hedera helix, Stellaria holostea, Dactylis polygama, Convallaria majalis, Phyteuma spicatum, Galium sylvaticum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
sparsely Atrichum undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica; Melica uniflora, Galium odoratum, Milium effusum, Lamium galeobdolon, Viola reichenbachiana, Carex sylvatica, Stellaria holostea, Dactylis polygama, Galium sylvaticum
Ecological variants
Numerous edaphic forms: form on lime-rich substrates with Acer campestre, Cornus mas, Viburnum lantana, Daphne laureola, Hordelymus europaeus, Carex flacca, Carex digitata, Orchis mascula; form on fresh neutral substrates with Fraxinus excelsior, Arum maculatum, Mercurialis perennis, Ranunculus auricomus; moist form with Circaea lutetiana, Veronica montana, Stachys sylvatica, Carex remota, Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris carthusiana and Deschampsia cespitosa. Form on acidic substrates with Luzula luzuloides, Poa chaixii, Convallaria majalis, Maianthemum bifolium, Veronica officinalis, Deschampsia flexuosa, Carex pilulifera.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Western strain with Ilex aquifolium, Lonicera periclymenum; in the southwest with Carex pilosa, Carex brizoides; west Thuringian triassic hills: Euphorbia amygdaloides, Cardamine bulbifera.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Luzulo-Fagetum milietosum, Carici-Fagetum, Lathyro-Fagetum as well as Hordelymo-Fagetum, Stellario-Carpinetum, Stellario-Alnetum (lowland form), Tilio-Acerion; France/Belgium: Carici-Fagetum on mountain ridges and rugged slopes of the bajocian limestones, with occurrences of Quercus pubescens and Buxus sempervirens at some sites. On shady slopes of the valleys and in valley hollows: ravine forests with Asplenium scolopendrium, Actaea spicata, and locally Cardamine heptaphylla.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
soil-acidic oak forests (F5, F8, F9, F16, F18, F19, F20), oak-hornbeam forests (F35, F36, F50, F51, F52, F55, F57), species-poor beech forests (F77, F78, F82, F83, F85, F86, F90), species-rich beech forests (F107, F113, F114, F118, F128, F129, F130, F131, F132, F133), downy oak forests (G39), alluvial and moist forests (U8, U9, U24, U27).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Oak, hornbeam low and middle forests; oak forestry, Rubus idaeus-pine and -spruce forestry, occasional Douglas firs, larches; hawthorn-blackthorn scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Tall oatgrass meadows (Alchemillo-Arrhenatheretum, Dauco-Arrhenathretum), yellow oatgrass meadows (Poo-Trisetetum, Geranio-Trisetetum), white clover pastures (Lolio-Cynosuretum).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Root crop fields with beets, potatoes: Thlaspio-Fumarietum officinalis (incl. Veronico agrestis-Fumarietum, sometimes a Lapsana altitudinal form, typical and Aethusa cynapium subassociation, including Fumarietum officinalis); Cereal fields (wheat, barley): Aphano-Matricarietum, sometimes a Lapsana altitudinal form, typical and Sinapis arvensis subassociation; Papaveretum argemones, Alchemillo-Matricarietum (including Alopecuro-Matricarietum); above 400 m Holco-Galeopsietum (Galeopsio-Aphanetum); Euphorbio exiguae-Melandrietum; Caucalido daucoidis-Scandicetum pecten-veneris (Caucalido-Adonidetum, Veronicetum politae)
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Nitrophilous fringes (Alliario-Chaerophylletum temuli, Torilidetum japonicae, Epilobio-Geranietum robertiani, Chaerophylletum aurei, Urtico-Aegopodietum, Ballota nigra-Chenopodium bonus-henricus association).
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Hilly and mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 50-600 m
Geology (bedrock)
glacial sediments of the Weichsel ice-age (loamy sands, loams, bluff formation); basalt, flysch (Tertiary); Middle Triassic and Keuper rocks (Triassic), limestone, dolomite and chalky clay rock (Jurassic); Devonian, Permian; Belgium-Lothringia: calcareous sandstone, well dehydrated chalky clay, Bajocian-limestone (Jurassic-Lias); French-Lothringia: Jurassic-limestone at the slopes of the Maas and Mosel valley, in the plain of Langres and the plain of the upper Saône (Haute Saône)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
parabrown soils, lime-rich-eutrophic, frequent stone-rich brown soils, para-rendzines, rendzines; (orthic, vertic and gleyic luvisols; eutric and stony calcaric cambisols; rendzic leptosols)
soil texture
sandy loams, often grouany-stony and junk soils
soil moisture, water balance
fresh (-moist) to moderately dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to weakly alkaline
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2, VI(VII), VI7c, VI8c, VI9b, VI4, VI(X)3
average annual temperature
6-10 EC
average annual precipitation
550-1000 mm; 1200-1800 mm (Austria)
average temperature of the warmest month
14-19 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-3,5 to 2 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)
France, Belgium, Germany, Austria: forests often preserved in a near-natural way which is the form in which they are managed and exploited.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Low and middle forest usage, transformation of semi-natural forests into forestry, clearing and cutting of forests, introduction and migration of strongly competitive exotic and non-indigenous species; contamination of the atmosphere (novel types of forest damage) and soils, roadways, settlements.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of the semi-natural stands with various types of protective measures.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
France: The forest of Haie on the altitude of Nancy with the different formations of the mapping unit with occurrence of Ribes alpinum. The Bajocianne terraced landsape also owns characteristic stands as well in Belgium as in French Lothringia. Germany: nature reserve Hohenstein (Lower Saxony), nature reserve "Burgesroth" (Unterharz), nature reserve "Beechnberg" (Saxony-Anhalt), nature reserve Lämershagen, primeval forest cell Obere Debrisshöhe, primeval forest cell Kluß, nature reserve Siebengebirge (Petersberg, Nonnenstromberg) (North Rhine-Westphalia), Riedkopf, Kirchberg, nature reserve Rossert-Hainkopf-Dachsbau (Hessen), nature reserve "Wartburg-Hohe Sonne", nature reserve "Keulaer Wald" (Thuringia), nature reserve Hundsbachtal (Rhineland-Palatinate), BW Schlierbach, BW Grubenhau, Bodanrücken between Bodmann and Langenrain (Baden-Württemberg); Austria: Einhänge to the Rhine valley of Vorarlberg.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bohn 1996; Dierschke 1989; Ellenberg & Klötzli 1972; Hofmann 1959; Hofmann 1964b; Jacamon & Timbal 1976; Künne 1969; Matuszkiewicz & Matuszkiewicz 1973; Müller Th. 1966; Müller Th. 1992; Oberdorfer 1957; Schlüter 1959a; Schlüter 1959b; Trautmann 1966; Trautmann (Red.) 1973; Timbal 1978; Bugnon, Rameau, Royer & Brunaud 1985; Sougnez 1967b
Compiled by
A. Noirfalise; J. Niedbala after Hegg; K. Zukrigl; U. Bohn; H. Schlüter
