Title
Fir-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba), partly with Picea abies, with Anemone trifolia, Lamium orvala, Cardamine enneaphyllos, Hacquetia epipactis, Omphalodes verna, Vicia oroboides in the south(east) Alps and Illyria
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Austria: south Carinthia (Karawanken), Styria, mountainous country of Graz, central Burgenland; Italy: Dolomites, Carnic Alps, Bergermask Alps; Slovenia: Julian Alps, border to Croatia; Croatia: Velebit, Mala Kapela; Bosnia-Herzegovina: Grme… Plan. (wide-spread unit in the southern and southeastern marginal Alps)
area frequency
27 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Anemono trifoliae-Fagetum Tregubov 1962 ex Marin…ek et al. 1993, Anemono trifoliae-(Abieti-)Fagetum Zukrigl 1989, Lamio orvalae-Fagetum (Horvat 1938) Borhidi 1963, Hacquetio-Fagetum Košir 1962, Dentario pentaphylli-Fagetum Mayer & Hofmann 1969, Polysticho lonchitis-Fagetum (Horvat 1938) Marin…ek in Poldini & Nardini 1993, Lamiastro flavidi-Fagetum Zukrigl 1989, Poo stiriacae-Fagetum Zukrigl 1973.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Frequently pure beech forests, at least at the northern descent of the southern Alps (Carinthia) and in Styria, however, there are also fir-beech forests with spruce, without an appreciable shrub layer and with a moderately covering herb layer that is species-rich and characterised by Illyrian species in particular. At snow-rich altimontane sites there are sabre-formed pure beech forests.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica predominating, admixed Abies alba, (Picea abies), Acer pseudoplatanus, Acer obtusatum, Acer platanoides, Ulmus glabra
Shrub layer
rejuvenation of tree species; Daphne mezereum, Daphne laureola, Lonicera xylosteum, Lonicera alpigena, Rosa pendulina, Euonymus latifolia, Corylus avellana, Rubus hirtus
Lianas
Clematis vitalba, Clematis alpina, Hedera helix
Herb layer
Anemone trifolia, Aposeris foetida, Helleborus niger, Aremonia agrimonoides, Cardamine trifolia, Cardamine enneaphyllos, Cardamine bulbifera, Cardamine pentaphyllos, Hacquetia epipactis, Homogyne sylvestris, Epimedium alpinum, Prenanthes purpurea, Veronica urticifolia, Polygonatum verticillatum, Oxalis acetosella, Neottia nidus-avis, Lamium flavidum, Festuca drymeja, Vicia oroboides, Polystichum aculeatum, Mercurialis perennis, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Euphorbia carniolica, Cyclamen purpurascens, Salvia glutinosa, Calamagrostis varia, Carex alba, Sanicula europaea, Galium aristatum, Scopolia carniolica, Aruncus dioicus, Lathyrus vernus, Hepatica nobilis, Cephalanthera damasonium, Cephalanthera longifolia
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Ctenidium molluscum, Fissidens dubius, Plagiochila porelloides, Plagiomnium undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba; Lonicera alpigena, Euonymus latifolia, Rosa pendulina; Anemone trifolia, Aposeris foetida, Aremonia agrimonoides, Helleborus niger, Lamium orvala, Calamintha grandiflora, Homogyne sylvestris, Hacquetia epipactis, Cardamine enneaphyllos, Omphalodes verna
Ecological variants
Extensive subclassification depending on soil humidity (e.g. an intermittently-fresh form with Calamagrostis varia, fresh with Cardamine trifolia, wetter with Petasites albus), altitudinal belt (e.g. submontane Hacquetio-Fagetum, altimontane Polysticho-Fagetum etc.) and substrate (pure limestone and dolomites, palaeozoic limestones, subordinate silicate rocks).
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Southeast Alpine strain with Anemone trifolia, Cardamine pentaphyllos, impoverished in the Carinthian Alps without Helleborus amongst others, a pre-Dinaric strain with Cardamine kitaibelii, very impoverished northern outliers in central Styria (Poo stiriacae-Fagetum).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Ostryo-Fraxinetum orni, Ostryo-Fagetum, Luzulo-Fagetum, Fraxino orni-Pinetum nigrae Martin-Bosse 1967, Aconito paniculatae-Fagetum (Zupančič 1969) Marinček et al. 1993, Cytiso sessilifolii-Amelanchieretum ovalis Pedrotti, Gafta & Minghetti 1994.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine grassland (B44), larch-pine forests (C19), Alpine rose-dwarf pine shrub (C20), fir forests (D29), spruce forests (D35), sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F65), species-rich beech- and fir-beech forests (F121, F143), hop-downy oak forests (G48), black pine forests (K11).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
beech forests used as low forest particularly in Italy, spruce forests, Salix caprea and Populus tremula pioneer forests.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Mesobromion-, Arrhenatherion and Polygono-Trisetion communities, alm meadows.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Little arable land.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Primarily slopes in the high-mountains and uplands
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
(submontane) montane to altimontane; (500)600-900(1500) m
Geology (bedrock)
limestone, dolomite (Jurassic, Cretaceous, Triassic); subordinate base-rich siliceous rock
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
mull-humus carbonate soil, terra fusca, limestone brown soils, brown soils, colluvial mixed soils; (rendzic leptosols; calcaric, chromic and eutric cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
(limestone-oligotrophic) meso-eutrophic, eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(X)
average annual temperature
4-8 EC
average annual precipitation
1000 to >2000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
13-16 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-5 to 0 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)
Segregation to pure beech forests or spruce plantations has been practiced frequently, and beech forests are often managed as low forests (Italy).
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Nearly-natural stands with a rich flora are especially worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
Forestry, grazing, game browsing, formerly charcoal-production.
required measures for protection and restitution
Semi-natural silviculture, reduction of game populations, control of forest grazing.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Austria: Kahlkogel near Maria Elend (Carinthia, primeval forest reserve), Loiblpaß region among others in the Karawanken and Carnic Alps; Italy: Monte Baldo, Monte Bondone (Trentino), Monti Lessini (Veneto).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Marinček 1981a; Marinček 1981b; Marinček 1983; Marinček & Čarni 2002; Marinček, Puncer & Zupančič 1983; Mayer 1974; Mayer & Hofmann 1969; Pedrotti 1981; Pedrotti et al. 1994; Zukrigl 1973; Zukrigl 1989
Compiled by
K. Zukrigl under use of documents by H. Wagner, F. Pedrotti, Z. Neuhäuslová, M. Zupan…i…, completed by U. Bohn
