Title
Moesian silver lime-hornbeam-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, partly F. sylvatica, Carpinus betulus, Tilia tomentosa) with Ruscus aculeatus, Helleborus odorus
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
widely distributed in Hungary: eastern Meczek-mountains; Yugoslavia: Serbia (Vojvodina, southern part of the Pannonian low plain), Suva Pl., Besna Kobila; Romania: Banater mountains; Macedonia: border towards Yugoslavia (Dukat); Bulgaria: Belasitza, Slavjanka, Pirin, west balkan, border towards Macedonia (Rujen, Ograñden Pl.)
area frequency
41 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Tilio tomentosae-Fagetum (M. Jankoviƒ & Mišiƒ) Mišiƒ 1972, Helleboro odori–Fagetum Soó & Borhidi in Soó 1962.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered submontane beech forests with a stratified tree layer, of which the first features Tilia tomentosa; shrub layer weakly developed, herb layer species-rich, with mesophilous and thermophilous species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica (in the northwest), Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca (in the southeast), Tilia tomentosa, Quercus petraea, Quercus cerris, Carpinus betulus, Sorbus torminalis, Prunus avium, Tilia platyphyllos, Tilia cordata.
Shrub layer
Young growth of trees; Ligustrum vulgare, Cornus mas, Cornus sanguinea, Euonymus verrucosa, Crataegus monogyna, Fraxinus ornus, Corylus avellana
Herb layer
Melica uniflora, Carex pilosa, Galium odoratum, Allium ursinum, Ruscus aculeatus, Aegopodium podagraria, Actaea spicata, Asperula taurina, Hepatica nobilis, Lathyrus venetus, Primula acaulis, Potentilla micrantha, Poa nemoralis, Geocaryum capillifolium, Brachypodium sylvaticum; Illyrian-Balkan species: Aremonia agrimonoides, Ruscus hypoglossum, Cardamine enneaphyllos, Knautia drymeia subsp. drymeia, Festuca drymeja, Doronicum orientale, Scutellaria altissima, Helleborus odorus
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Tilia tomentosa; Helleborus odorus, Aremonia agrimonoides, Lathyrus venetus, Ruscus aculeatus, Ruscus hypoglossum, Tamus communis, Asperula taurina, Knautia drymeia, Primula acaulis, Hepatica nobilis, Potentilla micrantha, im Süden Daphne laureola, Galium aristatum, Campanula sparsa subsp. sphaerothrix, Lonicera caprifolium, Asperula taurica
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Northern form (Southern Hungary, Vojvodina) with Allium ursinum, Aconitum anthora, Hesperis matronalis, Ranunculus lanuginosus, Viola alba; southern form (Sumadia, central and eastern Serbia) with Daphne laureola, Arabis turrita, Campanula sparsa subsp. sphaerothrix, Digitalis grandiflora, Galium aristatum.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Scutellario altissimae-Aceretum, Aconito anthorae-Fraxinetum orni, Tilio tomentosae-Fraxinetum orni; Fagus moesiaca, Carpinus betulus, Quercus dalechampii, Quercus frainetto, Carpinus orientalis, Platanus orientalis forests (Bondev1991).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
krummholz scrubs (C39), mixed oak-ash forests (F33), oak-hornbeam forests (F47, F65, F66, F67), species-poor beech forests (F103), species-rich beech and fir-beech forests (F123, F128, F151, F152, F154), mixed Quercus polycarpa-oak forests (G8, G9, G13), sessile oak-bitter oak forests (G18), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19, G20, G21, G22, G23, G24), flowering ash-downy oak forests (G47), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G57, G58, G59), pine-black pine forests (K13), alluvial and moist forests (U16, U17, U18).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
pine, false acacia and sessile oak forestry, lime stands. Carpinus orientalis, rarer Castanea sativa communities; Corylus avellana scrub; Atropion belladonnae.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Arrhenatheretalia communities; pastures with Agrostis capillaris, Pteridium aquilinum, Trifolium balansae.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Cereal, corn and potato fields (Chenopodietalia communities).
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Low mountainous altitudes, plateaus, gentle to steep slopes of varying exposure, and above all deep stream and river valleys, ravines and canyons
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 100-500 m
Geology (bedrock)
limestone (Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic); sandstone, slate, gneiss (Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic and carbonate-rich brown soils, parabrown soils, rendzines; (stony eutric and chromic cambisols; rendzic leptosols; orthic luvisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(VI), VI(VII), X
average annual temperature
7-11 EC
average annual precipitation
700-1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 17-21 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -6 to -1,5 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Moderately continental climate in north Bulgaria, transition type to the Mediterranean climate in the south.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
In quite a good state in Hungary; in Yugoslavia semi-natural stands are rare and worthy of protection; in Bulgaria semi-natural remnants are protected in nature reserves.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Species worthy of protection and geographically important: Ruscus spp., Doronicum orientale, Asperula taurina, Scilla vindobonensis subsp. borhidiana.
causes of endangerment
Clear cutting, changes in tree species.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Hungary: landscape reserves in the Mecsek-mountains (Jakabhegy, Misina-Tubes) above Pécs, Yugoslavia: Avala-Nature reserve above Belgrád; Bulgaria: nature reserve Skoschnik.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
Hungary: in regions mentioned above: Tilio tomentosae-Fraxinetum orni, Aconito anthorae-Fraxinetum orni, Scutellario altissimae-Aceretum, rock and gorge forests.
Most important references (author, year)
Bondev 1991; Borhidi 1963; Borhidi 1965; Borhidi 1996; Borhidi & Kevey 1996; Gajić 1961; Horvát 1959; Horvát 1972; Janković & Mišić 1960; Janković & Mišić 1980; Jovanović 1953; Jovanović 1955a; Jovanović 1955b; Török, Podani & Borhidi 1989
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by M. Zupan…i…, I. Bondev, A. Borhidi
