Title
Rhodopean beech and spruce-fir-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba, Picea abies) with Telekia speciosa, Peucedanum aegopodioides
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
South Bulgaria (Vitoša, Rila, Pirin, Rhodopes); north Greece: border to Bulgaria
area frequency
12 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Soldanello rhodopaeae-Fagetum Bergmeier & Dimopoulos 2001, Galium odoratum-Fagus-Ges. (Bergmeier & Dimopoulos 2001), Orthilio-Fagetum Bergmeier & Dimopoulos 2001.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered high forest with beech, fir and spruce in the tree and shrub layers (in forest glades with added Sorbus aucuparia, Salix caprea, Populus tremula, Betula pendula). The shrub and herb layers have coverages of between 10 and 50% depending on the degree of canopy closure, and consist of acidophilous, meso-eutrophic and montane species. The moss layer has a coverage of under 5 %.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica dominating, admixed Abies alba, Abies borisii-regis, Picea abies, Acer pseudoplatanus, Acer heldreichii, Sorbus aucuparia
Shrub layer
Young growth of trees, Sambucus racemosa, Rubus idaeus, Daphne mezereum, locally Lonicera caerulea
Herb layer
acidophilous species: Luzula luzuloides, Luzula sylvatica, Vaccinium myrtillus, Calamagrostis arundinacea; montane species: Polygonatum verticillatum, Prenanthes purpurea, Veronica urticifolia, Geranium macrorrhizum, Adenostyles alliariae, Doronicum austriacum, Senecio nemorensis agg., Saxifraga rotundifolia, Dryopteris dilatata; meso- to eutraphent Fagetalia-species: Aremonia agrimonoides, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Cardamine bulbifera, Anemone ranunculoides, Galium odoratum, Mycelis muralis, Impatiens noli-tangere, Dryopteris filix-mas, Poa nemoralis; further: Oxalis acetosella, Athyrium filix-femina
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Dicranum scoparium, Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba, Picea abies; Luzula luzuloides, Luzula sylvatica, Soldanella rhodopaea, Pulmonaria rubra, Symphytum ottomanum, Dryopteris dilatata, Polygonatum verticillatum, Prenanthes purpurea, Anemone ranunculoides, Geranium macrorrhizum, Telekia speciosa, Peucedanum aegopodioides
Ecological variants
On enriched soils in windward locations and valley incisions at high altitudes: Soldanello rhodopaeae-Fagetum; acidic sites: Orthilio-Fagetum; base-rich sites: Galium odoratum-Fagus association.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Lathraea rhodopea, Soldanella rhodopaea (only in the central Rhodopes) in southern Bulgaria, northern Greece; in Bulgaria with Lonicera caerulea, Telekia speciosa, Peucedanum aegopodioides.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Subalpine spruce forests, pine forests, tall-forb vegetation.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
krummholz scrubs (C39), spruce forests (D41), pine forests (D63), oak-hornbeam forests (F67), thermophilous sessile oak-bitter oak forests (G9), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G23), Oriental hornbeam-hop forests (G56), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G59), black pine forests (K16), alluvial forests (U18).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies forestry; succession stages with Populus tremula, Betula pendula; Rubus idaeus mantle scrub; Epilobium angustifolium forest clearing vegetation; Pteridium aquilinum stands.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures: Agrostis capillaris shortgrass meadows, matgrass communities with Nardus stricta.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Potatoes, oat, flax (in Bulgaria).
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Chenopodium bonus-henricus ruderal vegetation; Rumex pseudoalpinus, Stellaria nemorum communities.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
High mountains: upper mountainous locations, moderately steep slopes and lower slopes, valley edges
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
montane-altimontane to subalpine; 1000-1800 m
Geology (bedrock)
siliceous rock (Palaeozoic, Precambrian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic, base-rich brown soils; (stony humic cambisols; stony chromic luvisols)
soil texture
loamy, mostly grouany to stony
soil moisture, water balance
fresh
soil reaction
strongly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic, meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII), VI(X)3, X
average annual temperature
4-8 EC
average annual precipitation
800 to >1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
11-16 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -5 to 0 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Snow-rich in Greece (snow cover from November to May, snow hight up to 2 m).
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Greatly endangered in Greece; 900 ha "primeval forest" in the national park "Parthenodasos Paranestiou" which are strictly protected (since 1980).
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Southernmost occurrence of Picea abies, Sambucus racemosa in Europe among other species.
causes of endangerment
Forestry; clearing; forest fires.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Greece: central Rhodopes at the Bulgarian border (Zagradenia, northern Drama), National park “Parthenodasos Paranestiou”; Bulgaria: reserve in the Rhodopes and in the Rila-mountains, national parks Pirin and Vitoša, Mari…ini ezera, Parangalitsa.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Bergmeier & Dimopoulos 2001; Bondev 1991; Em 1962; Volpers 1989; Zoller, Geissler & Athanasiadis 1977
Compiled by
Th. Raus and E. Bergmeier; Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by I. Bondev, completed by U. Bohn
