Title
Subatlantic-Rhenanian xerophilous sessile oak forests (Quercus petraea) with Hieracium glaucinum, Genista pilosa, Festuca heterophylla, Teucrium scorodonia in combination with scrub and grasslands on siliceous rocks, partly with thermophilous sessile oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Tilia cordata) and mixed Montpellier maple-sessile oak forests (Quercus petraea, Acer monspessulanum)
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: Middle Rhine, Mosel, Nahe
area frequency
6 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Hieracio glaucini-Quercetum petraeae Lohmeyer 1978 corr. Denz 1994, (synonym: Luzulo-Quercetum petraeae Hilitzer 1932 nom. inv. Härdtle et al. 1997, Teucrium scorodonia-Vikariante); within the complex: Cotoneastro-Amelanchieretum (Faber 1936) R. Tüxen 1952, Galio-Carpinetum Oberdorfer 1957, Aceri monspessulani-Quercetum (Knapp 1944) Oberdorfer 1957.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Mainly weakly growing tree layer consisting of stunted Quercus petraea with low branching. Due to the dying out of older branches, the weakly growing oak stands tend to naturally regenerate by producing new upgrowths after the summer aridity. The shrub layer and herb layer are often only weakly developed, as defined by the density of the tree layer and the shallowness of the soils, but they may also be species-rich in parts. Apart from acid and infertility indicators, heliophilous species are also represented.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus petraea dominating, Carpinus betulus scattered, Sorbus aria, Tilia platyphyllos, Tilia cordata, regionally Acer monspessulanum
Shrub layer
at rocky sites: Cotoneaster integerrimus, Amelanchier ovalis, Cytisus scoparius, Corylus avellana, Crataegus monogyna, Rosa canina, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaea, Berberis vulgaris, Prunus mahaleb, regionally Acer monspessulanum
Lianas
locally Clematis vitalba, Hedera helix
Herb layer
Deschampsia flexuosa, Teucrium scorodonia, Calluna vulgaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Melampyrum pratense, Solidago virgaurea, Festuca filiformis, Campanula rotundifolia, Luzula campestris, Hieracium pilosella, Hieracium lachenalii, Hieracium umbellatum, Hieracium laevigatum, Hieracium murorum, Hieracium glaucinum, Sedum telephium, Polypodium vulgare, Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, Poa nemoralis, Luzula luzuloides, Luzula sylvatica, Cardaminopsis arenosa; thermophilous formations with: Silene nutans, Polygonatum odoratum, Anthericum liliago, Genista pilosa, Dianthus carthusianorum, Poa compressa, Festuca heteropachys, Festuca guestfalica, Asplenium septentrionale, Jasione montana, Campanula persicifolia, Silene viscaria, Melica ciliata, Sedum rupestre, Tanacetum corymbosum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Polytrichum formosum, Dicranum scoparium, Hypnum cupressiforme, Dicranella heteromalla, Pohlia nutans, Pleurozium schreberi, Polytrichum piliferum, partly Leucobryum glaucum, numerous Cladonia spp., Parmelia spp.
Diagnostically important species
Quercus petraea; Hieracium lachenalii, Hieracium glaucinum, Hieracium umbellatum, Hieracium lachenalii, Teucrium scorodonia, Campanula rotundifolia, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca filiformis, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Luzula sylvatica
Ecological variants
On dry to very dry, extremely sunnier-warm sites with Silene nutans, Polygonatum odoratum, Melica ciliata, Sedum rupestre, Festuca heteropachys, Genista pilosa, Genista tinctoria, Anthericum liliago; on debris slopes with Luzula sylvatica, Polypodium vulgare; on moderately dry to moderately fresh sites transitions to the Luzulo-Fagetum, on debris-rich slopes to acidophilous hornbeam communities.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
At the southern middle Rhine, the Moselle and the Nahe, a vegetation complex with Acer monspessulanum, at the Moselle with Buxus sempervirens.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Rock fissure communities (Androsacion vandelii); rock gravel communities (Sedo-Scleranthetea); dry grassland: Artemisio-Melicetum; dwarf shrub heaths: Genisto-Callunetum; thermophilous scrub: Pruno-Ligustretum, Aceri monspessulani-Viburnetum lantanae, Cotoneastro-Amelanchieretum, Genisto pilosae-Sarothamnetum; forests on deeper soils: Galio-Carpinetum with Melica uniflora, Mercurialis x paxii, Primula veris subsp. veris, Helleborus foetidus, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Dictamnus albus; on mobile stone debris with higher alkalinity: Aceri platanoidis-Tilietum; on warm-dry, rocky or skeletal-rich and base-richer sites: Aceri monspessulanae-Quercetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F50, F51), species-poor beech forests (F83, F90), species-rich beech forests (F110).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Formerly low forest (grove) management (e.g. cork-oak peeling); coniferous forestry (Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
---
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Viniculture, fruit-tree meadows (Streuobstwiesen) with typical wild herb communities.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Narrow river valleys with steep, sometimes rocky slopes in the Rhine Slate mountains, warm wine-growing region.
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline; 100-300 m
Geology (bedrock)
base-poor siliceous rocks: clay slate (Lower Devonian), graywacke (Devonian), Quarzporphyr (Permian), Quarzite
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
ranker, ranker-brown soils, podzolized brown soils, stone-rich; (dystric leptosols; lithic and stony dystric cambisols)
soil texture
light-layered loam, grouany to stony
soil moisture, water balance
dry to very dry
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic (to mesotrophic)
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI4b, VI5b
average annual temperature
8,5-10,5 EC
average annual precipitation
550-650 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
17-19 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
0 to 2 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
The vegetation period is warm and poor in precipitation, regular drought damage in dry summers due to the shallow soil; danger of late frosts.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Many semi-natural stands are still preserved. Because of their naturalness, peculiarity and habitat variety they are of great value for nature conservation.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All natural and semi-natural vegetation units are worthy of protection, large number of thermophilous species.
causes of endangerment
Transformation of semi-natural forests into (coniferous) forestry; vineyard clearing and pathway development; pesticide contamination from neighbouring vineyards; quarrying.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation by various protective measures is necessary, e.g. establishment of representative areas as nature reserves or forest reserves. Land usage should be discontinued. In abandoned (fallow) areas natural succession should be tolerated.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Germany: Drachenfels in the nature reserve Siebengebirge (North Rhine-Westphalia), nature reserve Engweger Kopf-Scheibigkopf (Hessen), nature reserve Ahrschleife near Altenahr (Rhineland-Palatinate), nature reserve Brauselay near Cochem (Rhineland-Palatinate), nature reserve Lemberg (Rhineland-Palatinate), Loreley-rock at the Middle Rhine (Rhineland-Palatinate).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
partly included in reserves of natural vegetation.
Most important references (author, year)
Denz 1994; Glavač & Krause 1969; Härdtle, Heinken, Pallas & Welss 1997; Lohmeyer 1978; Trautmann (Red.) 1973
Compiled by
U. Bohn, completed by J. Pallas
