Title
Hercynian pine-oak forests (Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, Pinus sylvestris) with Calluna vulgaris, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Calamagrostis arundinacea in combination with small areas of pine forests (Pinus sylvestris) on sand or sandstone
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: Franken, Upper Palatinate; Czech Republic: west, north and east Bohemia
area frequency
18 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Calamagrostio arundinaceae-Quercetum petraeae (Hartmann 1934) Scamoni & Passarge 1959 (incl. Molinio-Quercetum pinetosum Grosser 1960), Vaccinio vitis-idaeae-Quercetum Oberdorfer 1957 pro parte, typo excluso, central European formations, pseudonym: Pino-Quercetum sensu auct. german. non Reinhold 1944.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Open, three- to four-layered, species-deficient, mixed forests. Tree layer consisting of Quercus petraea and Pinus sylvestris, and more rarely Q. robur. The shrub layer is weakly developed or absent. The herb layer consists mostly of dwarf shrubs and/or grasses. The moss layer is weakly to well developed with a typical acidophilous species assemblage.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus petraea, Pinus sylvestris, Quercus robur, (Betula pendula)
Shrub layer
species of the tree-layer, Sorbus aucuparia, (Frangula alnus)
Herb layer
Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Melampyrum pratense, Calluna vulgaris, Festuca ovina, Hieracium lachenalii, Veronica officinalis, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Holcus mollis, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia flexuosa, Poa angustifolia, Pteridium aquilinum, Luzula pilosa, Lathyrus linifolius, Carex pilulifera, Convallaria majalis, (Polygonatum odoratum, Euphorbia cyparissias)
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Pleurozium schreberi, Dicranum scoparium, Hypnum cupressiforme, Pohlia nutans, Cladonia spp., Polytrichum formosum, Dicranum polysetum, (Leucobryum glaucum)
Diagnostically important species
Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, Pinus sylvestris; Calluna vulgaris, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Calamagrostis arundinacea
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
---
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Dicrano-Pinetum, Cladonio- and Vaccinio-Pinetum, Potentillo-Quercetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pedunculate oak and sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F38, F50, F51), species-poor beech forests (F85, F86), species-rich beech and fir-beech forests (F110, F113, F119), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U24).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Rubus idaeus, Deschampsia flexuosa, Calamagrostis arundinacea and Vaccinium myrtillus pine plantations.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Silceous grassland (Corynephorion, Koelerion glaucae), dwarf shrub heaths with Calluna.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Potatoes, asparagus, rye, rarely other cereals (Lycopsietum arvensis, Papaveretum argemones, less commonly Teesdalio-Arnoseridetum minimae).
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Sand-affected hills with inland dunes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; in Germany and in the Czech Republic as high as 500 m
Geology (bedrock)
base-poor sandstone (Keuper, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary), eolian and terrace sands (Pleistocene)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
podzolized brown soils, partly podzoles; (orthic podzols; dystric cambisols)
soil texture
sand to loamy sand
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to dry
soil reaction
strongly acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic, oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI9b
average annual temperature
7-8 EC
average annual precipitation
650-850 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
17-18 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-3 to -2 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Partly continental basin climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Stands preserved only in small areas and in a scattered semi-natural manner.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All natural communities, siliceous grassland of dunes.
causes of endangerment
Transformation into pure pine forestry, sand extraction, military use, agricultural use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of all semi-natural remnants, the natural relief, and the populations of sessile oak adapted to the poor (oligotrophic) habitat.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Germany: Dürnbucher Forst near Siegenburg; Czech Republic: fragments in the region of Doksy.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
Germany: Nürnberger Reichswald, military training area Grafenwöhr.
Most important references (author, year)
Grosser 1956; Grosser 1960; Grosser 1964; Mikyška et al. 1968–1972; Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1967; Passarge 1957; Passarge 1962; Scamoni 1961; Scamoni (Hrsg.) 1964; Schubert 1972b
Compiled by
R. Neuhäusl and Z. Neuhäuslová; completed by J. Pallas, U. Bohn
