Title
Southwest Central European Galium odoratum-(fir-)beech forests (Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba), alternating with beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) with Lathyrus vernus
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: Swabian Keuper-Lias-land, upper Neckar land
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Galio odorati-Fagetum Rübel 1930 ex Sougnez & Thill 1959 (= Asperulo-Fagetum H. Mayer 1964), Hordelymo-Fagetum Kuhn 1937; Pyrolo-Abietetum Oberdorfer 1957.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
The well-growing red beech forms pure stands or mixed stands with fir in which shrubs only occur occasionally in addition to tree upgrowths. The herb layer consists of demanding herbs and grasses. The sites alternate between heavy clay soils (favouring the fir) and limestone soils (beech dominance, basiphilous species).
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica dominating, stem- and group-wise admixed Abies alba, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fraxinus excelsior, Ulmus glabra, isolated Quercus robur
Shrub layer
Crataegus monogyna, Corylus avellana, Lonicera xylosteum, Euonymus europaea, Daphne mezereum, Sorbus aucuparia, Sambucus racemosa
Herb layer
Galium odoratum, Lathyrus vernus, Festuca gigantea, Milium effusum, Lamium galeobdolon, Mercurialis perennis, Dryopteris filix-mas, Carex sylvatica, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Athyrium filix-femina, Luzula luzuloides, Melica nutans, Epipactis atrorubens, Carex montana, Rubus saxatilis, Orthilia secunda, Moneses uniflora
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Atrichum undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba; Galium odoratum, Lathyrus vernus, Milium effusum, Lamium galeobdolon, Rubus saxatilis, Orthilia secunda, Moneses uniflora
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
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Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Galio rotundifolii-Abietetum; hardwood-debris forests (Tilio-Ulmetum); Aceri-Fraxinetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
fir forests (D24), sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F51), species-poor fir-beech forests (F93), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F113, F128, F129, F131).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Fir stands, spruce and pine forestry; hedges and scrub: Prunetalia spinosi; forest clearing vegetation: Epilobion angustifolii, Atropetum belladonnae.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Shortgrass meadows: Violion, semi dry grassland (Mesobromion); with intensive agricultural use: grass meadows: Alchemillo-Arrhenatheretum, Geranio-Trisetetum; pastures: Lolio-Cynosuretum, Alchemillo-Cynosuretum.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Field weed communities: Chenopodio-Oxalidetum, Alchemillo-Matricarietum, Galeopsio-Matricarietum.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Hilly and lower mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
submontane; 400-700 m
Geology (bedrock)
clays and chalky clay (Lias), limestone (Triassic), sandstone (Keuper)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
pelosols, brown soils, parabrown soils, partly pseudogleyed, rendzines; (vertisols; stony eutric cambisols; rendzic leptosols; orthic luvisols)
soil texture
clay, sandy to clayey loam, partly containing rock debris
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to periodically moist
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI9c, VI(X)c
average annual temperature
6,3-7,8 EC
average annual precipitation
900-1700 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
15-18 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-3 to 0 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)
Hardly any semi-natural forests remain preserved.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Fir-beech forests.
causes of endangerment
Transformation of semi-natural forests into plantations; promotion of conifers (spruce, pine, fir).
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation and regeneration with the aid of different types of protective measures are necessary.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
No details
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Müller Th. 1992; Müller Th. & Oberdorfer 1974
Compiled by
U. Bohn
