Title
Moesian beech forests (Fagus sylvatica, Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca) with Aremonia agrimonoides, Festuca drymeja, partly with Geranium macrorrhizum
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Romania: Banat; Bulgaria: Ravna gora, Balkan-mountains; (not shown on the map for Albania; Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo); Bosnia-Herzegovina)
area frequency
7 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Aremonio-Fagetum BoÕcaiu 1971, Geranio macrorrhizi-Fagetum (Borza 1935) Soó 1964, Colurno-Fagetum Borhidi 1963 banaticum Schrött 1972, Lauroceraso-Fagetum moesiacum B. Jovanoviƒ 1967.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Montane beech forest with dominant, well growing Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica and Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca in the tree layer. In the shrub layer there is Prunus laurocerasus that only reproduces vegetatively in closed stands. The herb layer features mainly Central European species (Fagetalia), and additional Balkan species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica, Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca predominating, admixed Acer pseudoplatanus, Corylus colurna, Acer hyrcanum
Shrub layer
Prunus laurocerasus, Corylus avellana, Sorbus aucuparia, Rubus hirtus
Herb layer
Cardamine bulbifera, Galium odoratum, Anemone nemorosa, Anemone ranunculoides, Asarum europaeum, Lamium galeobdolon, Actaea spicata, Carex sylvatica, Hepatica nobilis, Mercurialis perennis, Sanicula europaea, Poa nemoralis, Athyrium filix-femina, Cardamine flexuosa, Potentilla micrantha, Calamintha grandiflora, Scilla bifolia, Erythronium dens-canis, Isopyrum thalictroides; Balkan species: Festuca drymeja, Aremonia agrimonoides, Geranium macrorrhizum, Helleborus odorus
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Corylus colurna; Prunus laurocerasus; Festuca drymeja, Aremonia agrimonoides, Geranium macrorrhizum, Helleborus odorus, Erythronium dens-canis, Doronicum columnae, Digitalis lanata, Primula veris subsp. columnae, Calamintha grandiflora, Peltaria alliacea, Arabis procurrens, Cardamine bulbifera, Hepatica nobilis
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Community with Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca and Prunus laurocerasus only on north-facing slopes in Bulgaria and only at a single locality in Serbia (near the Bulgarian border).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Luzulo-Fagetum montanum, Abieti-Fagetum moesiacae; Hieracio rotundati-Fagetum, Phyllitidi-Fagetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
spruce forests (D37), sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F67), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F124, F125, F126, F135, F151, F152), mixed Quercus polycarpa-oak forests (G8, G9), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G21, G22, G23, G24), oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G58, G59).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Betula pendula, Populus tremula pioneer scrub, Pinus sylvestris plantations; Corylus avellana scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Agrosti-Genistelletum Boscaiu 1970, Festuco-Agrostetum Horvat 1951; Pastures with Agrostis capillaris, Pteridium aquilinum, Imperata communis, Nardus stricta.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Potato, oat, flax.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Northern slopes and plateaus in mountain ranges
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
montane; (700) 800-1400 m
Geology (bedrock)
crystal rocks (Palaeozoic), limestone, flysch (Cretaceous, Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic to neutral brown soils, parabrown soils, rendzines; (stony eutric cambisols; orthic luvisols; rendzic leptosols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh, periodically moist
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic, meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII), X
average annual temperature
6-10 EC
average annual precipitation
Romania: 1000-1250 mm; Bulgaria: 700-900 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 15-18 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -4 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)
Very rare beech forests.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
The formation with Prunus laurocerasus is rare and especially worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, timber harvesting.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Yugoslavia (Serbia: Ostrozub); Romania: Banat (southwest Romania); Bulgaria: Nature reserve Boatij, Steneto (National park), Ravna gora; some nature reserves in the Balkan-mountains.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bondev 1991; Garelkov 1967; Ivan, Doniţă, Coldea, Sanda, Popescu, Chifu, Boşcaiu, Mititelu & Paucă-Comănescu 1993; Jovanović 1967a; Jovanović 1973; Penev 1956
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by M. Zupan…i… and I. Bondev, after Ivan et al. 1993, completed by Th. Raus, M. Zupan…i…
