Title
Hercynian-pre-Carpathian hygrophilous pedunculate oak forests (Quercus robur) with Carex brizoides, Molinia caerulea, Molinia arundinacea
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Czech Republic: surroundings of Ostrau; east Slovakia; east Hungary; Ukraine: western foreland of the east Carpathians; Romania: lowland and hilly country near Satu Mare, Transylvania, foreland of the south Carpathians
area frequency
27 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Molinio arundinaceae-Quercetum Samek 1962 (syn.: Molinio arundinaceae-Quercetum Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1967); Carici brizoidis-Quercetum roboris Ratiu et al. 1977 (questionable, if appertained).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered, 25-30 m tall pedunculate oak forests (70-90 % degree of coverage), with small additions of Betula pendula, Populus tremula, Abies alba and Picea abies; well developed shrub layer; the herb layer is sometimes dominated by Carex brizoides (30-60 % degree of coverage); additional moisture indicators combined with acidophilous, boreal and montane species are typical; The moss layer has a 10-30 % degree of coverage.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus robur, admixed Quercus petraea, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens, Populus tremula; locally Fraxinus angustifolia s. l., Carpinus betulus
Shrub layer
Corylus avellana, Frangula alnus, Sorbus aucuparia, Rubus caesius, Daphne mezereum, Prunus padus
Herb layer
Carex brizoides, Molinia caerulea, Molinia arundinacea, Pteridium aquilinum, Melampyrum pratense, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Agrostis capillaris, Solidago virgaurea, Veronica officinalis, Potentilla erecta, Vaccinium myrtillus, Luzula pilosa, Luzula luzuloides, Dryopteris carthusiana, Maianthemum bifolium, Trientalis europaea, Rubus saxatilis, Veratrum lobelianum, Polygonatum verticillatum, Hieracium lachenalii, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Serratula tinctoria, Melica nutans, Oxalis acetosella, Athyrium filix-femina, Rubus hirtus; further indicators of moisture: Sanguisorba officinalis, Juncus effusus, Lysimachia nummularia, Agrostis stolonifera, Deschampsia cespitosa
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Dicranum polysetum, Polytrichum commune, Pleurozium schreberi
Diagnostically important species
Quercus robur; Carex brizoides, Molinia caerulea, Molinia arundinacea, Deschampsia cespitosa, Potentilla erecta, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Trientalis europaea, Rubus saxatilis, Pteridium aquilinum, Luzula pilosa, Maianthemum bifolium, Hieracium lachenalii, Melampyrum pratense
Ecological variants
Alnus glutinosa with moisture indicators on more severely waterlogged sites, and on richer sites transitions to wet pedunculate oak-hornbeam forests.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
In the Ukraine alder forests, wet oak hornbeam forests; in Rumania Melampyro bihariensis-Carpinetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pedunculate oak-hornbeam forests (F49), sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F58, F60, F64), species-rich beech forests (F120, F125, F126, F135), oak and pine-oak forests (G2, G4, G10, G16), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G20, G21), salt vegetation (P32), alluvial forests (U16, U19).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
No details
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Molinietalia meadows with Agrostis canina, Agrostis stolonifera, Alopecurus pratensis.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Crop fields.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Alluvial terraces, plateaus with water-logging
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; 100-450 m
Geology (bedrock)
eolian and fluviatile sediments (Holocene, Pleistocene; Pleistocene above Tertiary); flysch (Cretaceous)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
base-poor pseudogleys; (gleyic luvisols; dystric planosols)
soil texture
sandy, loamy, partly gravely
soil moisture, water balance
periodically moist
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2a, VI(VII)
average annual temperature
9-11 EC
average annual precipitation
500-700 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
20-23 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-3 to -2 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Summer-warm subcontinental climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
No details
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Clearing, transformation into agriculturally useful areas and coniferous plantations.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection of semi-natural stands in nature reserves, protection should be given priority over utilisation.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Czech Republic: near Ostrau; Ukraine: Carpathians-National park, nature reserve Rostocze; Romania: Somes-plain in the northwest.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Ivan, Doniţă, Coldea, Sanda, Popescu, Chifu, Boşcaiu, Mititelu & Paucă-Comănescu 1993; Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1967; Raţiu, Gergely & Moldovan 1977; Resmeriţă 1970; Šeljag-Sosonko 1974
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by D. Ivan and Ju.R. Šeljag-Sosonko, revised by J. Pallas, U. Bohn
