Title
Moesian hop-hornbeam-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Ostrya carpinifolia) with Fraxinus ornus, partly Acer obtusatum, with Sesleria rigida, Sesleria latifolia
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Small-scaled in Yugoslavia: south Serbia, Montenegro; (not shown on the map for Macedonia; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Bulgaria)
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Seslerio autumnalis-Fagetum moesiacum Ble…iƒ & Lakušiƒ 1970, Fagetum submontanum (Rudski 1949) B. Jovanoviƒ 1967, Aristolochio-Fagetum Em 1965.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Closed Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca forests with small additions of thermophilous tree species: Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus ornus, Carpinus betulus, Acer obtusatum, Acer hyrcanum, with a weak to moderately developed shrub layer consisting of thermophilous species, a relatively species-rich herb layer with dominant Central European elements as well as southeast European–Illyrian and Balkan species. Moss layer mostly weakly developed and species deficient.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca predominating, admixed Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Acer obtusatum, Acer hyrcanum subsp. intermedium, Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus ornus, Tilia platyphyllos
Shrub layer
Rubus pedemontanus, Rubus scaber, Euonymus verrucosa
Herb layer
Campanula rapunculoides, Balkan species: Campanula sparsa subsp. sphaerothrix, Primula veris subsp. columnae, Galium pseudoaristatum, Physospermum cornubiense, Doronicum orientale, Securigera elegans, Crocus pulchellus, Scutellaria columnae, Stachys scardica, Trifolium medium subsp. balcanicum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Acer obtusatum, Acer hyrcanum subsp. intermedium, Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus ornus; Sesleria rigida, Sesleria argentea, Campanula moesiaca, Aquilegia pancicii, Hypericum androsaemum, Aristolochia rotunda, Cyclamen hederifolium, Potentilla micrantha, Cephalanthera rubra, Cephalanthera damasonium, Galanthus nivalis
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Piva strain with Sesleria autumnalis.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Fagetum moesiacae montanum, Calamintho grandiflorae-Fagetum, Abieti-Fagetum moesiacae, Abieti-Fagetum macedonicum, Ostryo-Quercetum pubescentis, Quercetum petraeae, Quercetum fraineto-cerris.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F66), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F144), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Degraded forests, oak or false acacia-forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Dry grassland (Festucetalia valesiacae).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Lower mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
submontane (-montane); 450-600 m
Geology (bedrock)
carbonate and siliceous rocks (Mesozoic, Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
rendzines and base-rich brown soils; (rendzic leptosols, eutric cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV5a, X
average annual temperature
8-10 EC
average annual precipitation
800-1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
16-19 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-3 to -1 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
SubMediterranean-subcontinental climate with a deficiency in precipitation during the growth period.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Forests greatly damaged by land utilisation.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Low forest use, forest clearing, grazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of semi-natural remnants and regeneration of degraded stands.
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)
Blečić 1958; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974; Jovanović 1955a; Jovanović 1955b; Jovanović 1973; Jovanović 1987a; Jovanović 1987b; Jovanović, Jovanović & Zupančič 1986; Lakušić, Muratspahić & Redžić 1982; Rizovski 1982; Rizovski 1983a; Zupančič et al. 1986
Compiled by
M. Zupan…i…
