Title
Moldavian beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) with Tilia tomentosa, with Carex brevicollis
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
East Romania: central plateau of the Moldau; Republic of Moldavia: central Moldavian hilly country
area frequency
7 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Tilio-Corydali-Fagetum Dobrescu & Kovács 1973, Fagetum banaticum Borza 1931.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered beech forests with dominant beech (Fagus sylvatica, Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis). The upper tree layer (25-30 m tall) is dominated by beeches and limes, and the lower (17-23 m tall) by Carpinus betulus. The shrub layer has a 5-20 % degree of coverage, and the herb layer consists primarily of mesophilous forest species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
dominating Fagus sylvatica, locally with Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis, further with Tilia tomentosa, Tilia cordata, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus, Acer platanoides, Acer campestre, Prunus avium, Ulmus glabra
Shrub layer
Corylus avellana, Crataegus monogyna, Cornus sanguinea, Cornus mas, Euonymus verrucosa, Staphylea pinnata, Daphne mezereum, Viburnum lantana
Lianas
Hedera helix, Clematis vitalba, Rubus hirtus
Herb layer
Carex pilosa, Asarum europaeum, Cardamine bulbifera, Cardamine glanduligera, Cardamine quinquefolia, Mercurialis perennis, Aegopodium podagraria, Allium ursinum, Anemone nemorosa, Anemone ranunculoides, Corydalis cava subsp. marschalliana, Corydalis solida, Scilla bifolia, Circaea lutetiana, Carex brevicollis, Galium odoratum, Viola mirabilis, Lamium galeobdolon, Salvia glutinosa, Sanicula europaea, Carex sylvatica, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Isopyrum thalictroides, Galium schultesii, Lathyrus vernus, Pulmonaria officinalis, Dryopteris filix-mas, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Viola reichenbachiana, Lathyrus niger
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica, Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis, Tilia tomentosa; Cornus mas, Staphylea pinnata; Hedera helix; Cardamine bulbifera, Cardamine glanduligera, Carex pilosa, Carex brevicollis, Corydalis cava subsp. marschalliana, Lathyrus venetus, Lathyrus aureus, Polygonatum hirtum, Scutellaria altissima, Mercurialis ovata, Tanacetum corymbosum, Lathyrus niger
Ecological variants
Locally thermophilous forms.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Oak-hornbeam forests with Tilia tomentosa.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F62, F63).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Secondary oak hornbeam forests, low forest, scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadow steppes: Medicagini-Festucetum valesiacae Wagner 1941, Botriochloetum ischaemi Krist 1937.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Hilly country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline; 200-400 m
Geology (bedrock)
bluff formation, chalky clay, sandstone (Quaternary, Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
parabrown soils, partly pseudogleyed, eu-mesotrophic brown soils; (orthic and gleyic luvisols; eutric cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh, locally periodically moist
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)
average annual temperature
8-9 EC
average annual precipitation
450-600 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 21-22 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -5 to -3 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Warm and relatively dry climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Forests heavily damaged by man, semi-natural forest stands are rare.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Well preserved forest remnants are worthy of protection; rare species: Neottia nidus-avis, Platanthera bifolia, Cephalanthera longifolia, Lilium martagon, Actaea spicata (rare species for Moldavia), Orchis purpurea.
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, low forest use, transformation into hornbeam or oak-stands.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection of semi-natural remnants and regeneration of degraded stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Republic of Moldavia: central Moldavian hilly country: northwestern part of Kodry (nature reserve), hunting reserve Redenskij.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Dobrescu & Kovács 1973; Doniţă, Ivan, Coldea, Sanda, Popescu, Chifu, Paucă-Comănescu, Mitetelu & Boşcaiu 1992; Gejdeman 1952; Ivan, Doniţă, Coldea, Sanda, Popescu, Chifu, Boşcaiu, Mititelu & Paucă-Comănescu 1993; Sočava & Lipatova 1952
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová after D. Ivan et al. 1993 and documents by Ju.R. Šeljag-Sosonko, completed by U. Bohn after DoniÛ| et al. 1992
