Title
Illyrian-west Pannonian beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) with Ligustrum vulgare, Primula acaulis, Hacquetia epipactis, partly with Epimedium alpinum, Aremonia agrimonoides
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Italy: border towards Slovenia; Slovenia: mainly southeastern part of the country; Croatia: border region towards Slovenia; Hungary: southwest of the country; Bosnia- Herzegovina: in the north between Derventa and Modri…a; Yugoslavia: Montenegro (not shown on the map)
area frequency
17 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Vicio oroboidi-Fagetum Pócs & Borhidi in Borhidi 1960, Hacquetio-Fagetum Kosir 1962, Ornithogalo pyrenaici-Fagetum Marin…ek et al. 1990, Doronico austriaci-Fagetum Borhidi & Kevey 1996, Leucojo verni-Fagetum Kevey & Borhidi 1992.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Tall growing colline-submontane mixed beech forests with a stratified tree layer. Shrub layer weakly developed, herb layer well developed and very species-rich. Neutrophilous to basiphilous species predominate, southern European-Illyrian species are characteristic. The moss layer is sparse.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica dominating, stem-wise admixed Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Prunus avium, Sorbus torminalis, Acer campestris, Quercus cerris, in the east with Tilia tomentosa
Shrub layer
Young growth of trees; Fraxinus ornus, Ligustrum vulgare, Cornus sanguinea, Euonymus latifolia, Euonymus verrucosa, Staphylea pinnata, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus laevigata, Viburnum opulus, Viburnum lantana, Daphne mezereum, Berberis vulgaris, Rosa arvensis
Lianas
Hedera helix, Clematis vitalba, Tamus communis
Herb layer
Melica uniflora, Melica nutans, Carex pilosa, Galium odoratum, Oxalis acetosella, Festuca drymeja, Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. vulparia, Lamium galeobdolon, Aremonia agrimonoides, Hacquetia epipactis, Vicia oroboides, Primula acaulis, Anemone nemorosa, Anemone trifolia, Cardamine enneaphyllos, Ruscus hypoglossum, Cyclamen purpurascens, Lamium orvala, Pulmonaria officinalis, Mercurialis perennis, Sanicula europaea, Cardamine bulbifera, Viola reichenbachiana, Lilium martagon, Carex sylvatica, Carex digitata, Aposeris foetida, Asarum europaeum, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Euphorbia dulcis, Salvia glutinosa
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Ctenidium molluscum, Plagiochila asplenioides, Neckera complanata among others (v. all. auf limestone)
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica; Euonymus latifolia, Euonymus verrucosa; Aremonia agrimonoides, Vicia oroboides, Lamium orvala, Primula acaulis, Anemone trifolia, Cardamine enneaphyllos, Leucojum vernum, Ruscus hypoglossum, Ruscus aculeatus, Cyclamen purpurascens, Polystichum setiferum, Hacquetia epipactis, Aposeris foetida, Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, Lathyrus venetus, Symphytum tuberosum, Epimedium alpinum
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Hungary: in the eastern foothills of the Alps on loess with Anemone trifolia, Lamium orvala, Doronicum austriacum and Cardamine trifolia; in the mid-southern Transdanubia on the Somogy sand dunes with Anemone nemorosa, Leucojum aestivum, Ruscus aculeatus, Cyclamen purpurascens and Tamus communis; in the Pannonian hills of Zselic with Tilia tomentosa, Helleborus dumetorum, Ruscus aculeatus, Ruscus hypoglossum, Vicia oroboides, Festuca drymeja and Cardamine enneaphyllos; Slovenia: Idrian-inner Carniolan strain with Geranium nodosum, Brisko strain with Sesleria autumnalis.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Hungary: Carici pendulae-Alnetum, Carici elongatae-Alnetum, Polysticho setiferi-Aceretum; Slovenia, Croatia: Ostryo-Fagetum, Querco-Carpinetum croaticum, Carpinetum praedinaricum, Carpinetum praealpinum, Carpinetum subpannonicum, Lamio orvalae-Fagetum praedinaricum, Lamio orvalae-Fagetum praealpinum, Aceri-Fraxinetum croaticum, Aceri-Fraxinetum illyricum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
mixed fir forests (D26), soil-acidic oak forests (F21), mixed oak-hornbeam forests (F47, F65), species-poor beech forests (F87, F88, F90), species-rich beech and fir-beech forests (F142, F143, F149, F150), mixed hop-beech forests (G49), freshwater-tall sedge swamps (R1), alluvial forests (U16).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
pine and false acacia forestry, secondary oak-hornbeam forests, Prunetalia scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows and pastures (Arrhenatheretalia communities).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Cereal fields (Aperion-communities).
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Undulating hilly and lower mountainous country; dune landscapes in broad valley lowlands in areas that do not become submerged.
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline, submontane; Hungary: 150-300 m; 200-600(800) m (Slovenia)
Geology (bedrock)
bluff formation, chalky clay-, clay, carbonate rocks, sandstone, locally sand (Quaternary, Tertiary, Triassic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
meso- to eutrophic brown soils, partly lime-rich, parabrown soils, pseudogley-brown soils, here and there rendzines; (chromic, eutric and calcic cambisols; orthic and gleyic luvisols; rendzic leptosols)
soil texture
clayey to sandy loam, locally sand
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry, locally stagnating moist
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII), IV(V)a, VI2b, VI(VII), VI(X)
average annual temperature
7-9 EC; 9-11 EC (Hungary)
average annual precipitation
750-900 mm (Hungary); in the west 1000-1400 mm, in the east ca. 800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 19-21 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -3 to -0,5 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Transition between tinged oceanic and sub-Mediterranean-subcontinental climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Deciduous forests for the most part degraded in Slovenia, while in Hungary they are sometimes well preserved; the southwest-Hungarian stands are greatly endangered by false acacia plantations, and the sandhill stands by pine forestry.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Species worthy of protection and geographically important: Leucojum vernum, Ruscus aculeatus, Ruscus hypoglossum, Vicia oroboides, Lathyrus venetus, Doronicum austriacum, Doronicum orientale, Lamium orvala, Anemone trifolia, Cardamine trifolia, Hacquetia epipactis, Cyclamen purpuascens, Epimedium alpinum, Helleborus niger subsp. niger, Polystichum setiferum, Scilla drunensis, Carex strigosa.
causes of endangerment
Clear cutting, afforestation with Robinia spp. and Pinus spp.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of the semi-natural remnants.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Hungary: nature reserves of Zákány, Õrtilos and of Lake Baláta, forest reserve of forest Baláta; landscape reserves of Marcali-Bokonka, Zselic; national park Duna-Dráva, loess-gorge forests of Zákány and Õrtilos, ash-elm-alluvial forests, alder carrs of Somogy, alder-alluvial forests of Zselic.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Borhidi 1960; Borhidi 1963; Borhidi 1965; Borhidi 1984; Borhidi 1996; Borhidi & Járai-Komlódi 1959; Borhidi & Kevey 1996; Fukarek & Stefanović 1958a; Fukarek & Stefanović 1958b; Horvat 1938; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974; Kevey & Borhidi 1992; Marinček 1983; Marinček & Čarni 2002; Pócs 1960; Soó 1962; Soó 1964b
Compiled by
A. Borhidi; Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by M. Zupan…i…, completed by M. Zupan…i… and U. Bohn
