Title
Pindian beech and fir-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica, Abies borisii-regis) with Campanula foliosa
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Southeast Albania; Macedonia: border region towards Greece and Albania; northwest Greece (Pindos, Grammos, Vernon, Bela Voda)
area frequency
22 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Geranio striati-Fagetum Quézel & Contandriopoulos 1965; Fago-Abietetum borisii-regis Em 1974, Geranium versicolor-Urtica dioica-Fagus-Ges. (Bergmeier & Dimopoulos 2001), Orthilio-Fagetum (Barbéro & Quézel 1976) Bergmeier 1990, Abieti-Fagetum moesiacae Horvat et al. 1974, Campanulo trichocalycinae-Fagetum (Em 1961) Dzwonko et al. 1999, Aceri obtusati-Fagetum Fabjaniƒ et al. 1967.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
beech high forests (cathedral forests on shallow slopes), with fir (Abies borisii-regis) on leeward sites. The shrub layer is missing or consists primarily of tree upgrowths. The herb layer may be loosely to luxuriantly developed depending on the degree of shade provided by the canopy.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica s. l. dominating, here and there admixture of Abies borisii-regis, Acer pseudoplatanus
Shrub layer
Young growth of trees, Acer obtusatum, Lonicera xylosteum, Rosa arvensis, Daphne mezereum, Daphne laureola
Herb layer
Geranium versicolor, Geranium reflexum, Campanula trichocalycina, Galium odoratum, Calamintha grandiflora, Cardamine bulbifera, Sanicula europaea, Mycelis muralis, Poa nemoralis, Bromus benekenii, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Melica uniflora, Urtica dioica, Lamium montanum, Epilobium montanum, Doronicum orientale, Saxifraga rotundifolia, Galium rotundifolium, Pyrola minor, Orthilia secunda, Digitalis viridiflora, Sedum cepaea, Campanula foliosa, Luzula forsteri, Pteridium aquifolium, Aremonia agrimonoides, Viola reichenbachiana, Lathyrus venetus, Campanula spatulata, Helleborus cyclophyllus, Symphytum ottomanum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica, Abies borisii-regis, Acer obtusatum; Geranium versicolor, Geranium reflexum, Campanula trichocalycina, Campanula foliosa (transAdriatic), Helleborus cyclophyllus, Geocaryum capillifolium
Ecological variants
On flysch with Galium odoratum, Calamintha grandiflora, Cardamine bulbifera; on acidic soils with Pyrolaceae.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
In the south (Greece: Pindos) with Geranium versicolor, Geranium reflexum, and at raised altitudes with Campanula trichocalycina. The above-mentioned species are distributed across the Adriatic so that they also occur in south-Italian beech forests.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
In complex with Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) and Anatolian black pine forests (Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana), montane Balkan oak and sessile oak forests (Quercus frainetto, Quercus dalechampii), while at the upper tree line it interdigitates with subalpine Daphno-Festucetalia vegetation.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine grassland (B54, B55), subalpine vegetation (C40pine forests (D61), oak-hornbeam forests (F66), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19), (mixed) Balkan oak forests (G26), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G57), Balkan pine-, black pine- and fir forests (K6, K7, K15, K27).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Secondary scrub with (in Greece) Crataegus orientalis, Prunus cocomilia, Berberis cretica.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pteridium aquilinum vegetation.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
High mountains: middle to upper mountainous locations, moderately steep to steep slope sites.
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
montane-altimontane; 800-1800 m
Geology (bedrock)
siliceous rocks (phyllite, granites); limestone, chalky clay (Cretaceous, Jurassic); flysch (Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
limestone and acidic brown soils, parabrown soils; (calcaric, eutric and dystric cambisols; stony chromic luvisols)
soil texture
loamy, often stony
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV3b, IV4, X
average annual temperature
10-12 EC
average annual precipitation
550-800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
20-23 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-1 to 1 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Moderately summer-warm, moderately winter-cold, snow-rich montane climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Endangered in Greece.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All nearly-natural stands are worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
Forest grazing, low forest management, timber harvesting.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of semi-natural stands and designation of protected areas.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Greece: Oxia (absolute regional south distributional border of the beech), north Pindos near Metsovon, Kastania, Kastoria; Macedonia: Radika, Bistra, Baba, Koñuf, Jakupica.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Barbéro & Quézel 1976; Bergmeier & Dimopoulos 2001; Džekov & Rizovski 1987; Dzwonko, Loster, Dubiel & Drenkovski 1999; Hoda 1989; Mersinllari 1988; Quézel 1967b; Quézel & Contandriopoulos 1965; Rizovski & Džekov 1990; Ruci 1986
Compiled by
Th. Raus and E. Bergmeier, completed by M. Zupan…i…, J. Vangjeli, U. Bohn
