Title
Atlantic-subatlantic hygrophilous pedunculate oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus robur), partly with Quercus petraea, with Stellaria holostea, Ranunculus ficaria, Deschampsia cespitosa
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
France: Upper Rhine (Alsace); Belgium: Schelde, lower course of the Maas; Netherlands: eastern and northern part of the country (provinces of Drenthe, Overijssel, Gelderland, Brabant, Limburg); Germany: Fehmarn, lower course of the Elbe, Weser, Münsterland, Jülicher Börde, Ville, middle Lahn, Wetterau, upper and middle Rhine, Ries, foreland of the Alps; in east Germany only scattered and small-scaled distributed (not shown on the map)
area frequency
26 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Stellario-Carpinetum Oberdorfer 1957 em. Passarge & Hofmann 1968.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
High forests with a two-staged tree layer; the upper tree layer is dominated mostly by pedunculate oak, while underneath hornbeams form a second layer. The shrub layer is only sparsely developed in semi-natural stands. The herb layer is mostly opulently developed, contiguous to interspersed, often grass-rich, and the spring aspect features chamaephytes and geophytes. The moss layer is barely developed.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus, locally stem- to groupwise Fraxinus excelsior, Prunus avium, Fagus sylvatica, Acer campestre; scattered Ulmus laevis, Acer pseudoplatanus, Tilia cordata, Populus tremula, Quercus petraea, Alnus glutinosa, Prunus padus (in the wet wing).
Shrub layer
sparsely Corylus avellana, Crataegus laevigata, Rosa canina, Viburnum opulus; in the rich wing Euonymus europaea, Cornus sanguinea, Crataegus monogyna, Lonicera xylosteum, Prunus padus, Rubus caesius; in the poor wing Frangula alnus, Sorbus aucuparia
Lianas
partly Hedera helix, Lonicera periclymenum
Herb layer
Stellaria holostea, Potentilla sterilis, Milium effusum, Anemone nemorosa, Polygonatum multiflorum, Viola reichenbachiana, Lamium galeobdolon, Poa nemoralis, Hedera helix, Carex sylvatica, Dryopteris filix-mas, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Melica uniflora, Galium odoratum, Convallaria majalis, Vinca minor; hygrophilous species: Deschampsia cespitosa, Athyrium filix-femina, Carex remota, Carex brizoides (in the south and east), Stachys sylvatica, Festuca gigantea, Aegopodium podagraria, Geum urbanum, Circaea lutetiana, Ranunculus ficaria, Impatiens noli-tangere, Veronica montana; in the rich wing Arum maculatum, Pulmonaria officinalis, Pulmonaria obscura, Primula elatior, Ranunculus auricomus, Sanicula europaea, Allium ursinum, Corydalis cava, Corydalis solida, Mercurialis perennis. Differential species of the poor formation: Lonicera periclymenum, Dryopteris carthusiana, Luzula pilosa, Luzula luzuloides (in the mountainous country), Maianthemum bifolium, Poa chaixii, Agrostis capillaris, Deschampsia flexuosa, Vaccinium myrtillus, Melampyrum pratense
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Atrichum undulatum, Fissidens taxifolius; in poor wings: Polytrichum formosum, Mnium hornum
Diagnostically important species
Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus; Stellaria holostea, Polygonatum multiflorum, Potentilla sterilis, Deschampsia cespitosa
Ecological variants
In the wet wing Filipendula ulmaria, Lysimachia vulgaris, Crepis paludosa, Cirsium oleraceum, Equisetum telmateia, Thelypteris palustris.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Western strain with Ilex aquifolium, Teucrium scorodonia; eastern strain with Lilium martagon, Asarum europaeum, Lathyrus vernus; southern and eastern wet form with Carex brizoides.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Transitions to Melico-Fagetum, Aceri-Fraxinetum (continuing on at higher altitudes), Pruno-Fraxinetum, Stellario-Alnetum, Luzulo-Fagetum, Fago-Quercetum. In subsidence areas (Belgium) there are waterholes with reed vegetation, tall sedge communities and willow scrub.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous oak forests (F9, F11), hornbeam forests (F50, F52, F53), species-poor und species-rich beech forests (F77, F78, F83, F84, F107, F110), downy oak forests (G39), dune vegetation (P4), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U24).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Middle and low forest stands, Rubus idaeus pine and spruce forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Mown grass meadows: Senecioni-Brometum racemosi, Angelico-Cirsietum, Dauco-Arrhenateretum; hay meadows: Junco-Molinietum; pastures: Lolio-Cynosuretum.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Usually only suitable for crop agriculture after drainage (Kickxietum, Linarietum, Setario-Veronicetum politae, Aphano-Matricarietum, Chenopodio-Oxalidetum); rye, potato (Papaveretum argemone, Panicetum crus-galli).
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Suitable for hop cultivation in southern Germany.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Depressions and valleys of the lowlands and hills
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland to submontane; up to ca. 500 m
Geology (bedrock)
fluviatile valley sediments, loam and mantle rocks, sands above stagnating clay layers, loess loam (Pleistocene); mineral coal slate, Cretaceous, young sediments, Cretaceous chalky clay with or without loess loam cover, fluviatile and glacial sediments (Pleistocene above Tertiary, Cretaceous; Drenthe stage of the Saale ice-age)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
gleys, pseudogleys, brown riverine maedow soils, brown soil gley; (gleysols; gleyic cambisols; orthic and gleyic luvisols)
soil texture
sandy to clayey, partly grouany and stony, locally gravely
soil moisture, water balance
moist to fresh, periodically moist
soil reaction
acidic to alkaline
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2, VI4b, VI5a, VI7a, VI7b, VI7c
average annual temperature
8-9,5 EC
average annual precipitation
500-850 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
17-19 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-1 to 1 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
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Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Only a few well preserved stands remain, largely destroyed in valleys.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Nearly-natural oak-hornbeam-alluvial forests.
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, melioration, afforestation with poplar or spruce.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation and protection of all semi-natural forest stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
France/Belgium: region with waterholes of Harchies, an international, ornithological reserve (RAMSAR); Netherlands: Smoddebos near Losser, Bekkendelle & Willinksweust near Winterswijk, Kleibos (Foxwolde), north slopes Schimperbos near Wolfshaag; Germany: primeval forest reserve Westertreia (Schleswig Holstein), Beverner Wald, nature reserve Urwald Hasbruch, primeval forest reserve Bismarck-Eiche (Lower Saxony), Ruppershöhe (without state of protection, Hessen), nature reserve Paterholz, primeval forest reserve Oberm Jägerkreuz (North Rhine-Westphalia), nature reserve Geismeiler Weiher and surroundings (Saarland), nature reserve Nöttinger Heide extended with the forest area Dörnet, nature reserve Upper and Lower Seeholz (Bavaria), Unter- and Oberwald (Baden-Württemberg).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Dierschke 1986; Lohmeyer 1967; Lohmeyer 1970; Müller Th. 1967; Noirfalise & Sougnez 1963; Oberdorfer 1957; Passarge 1964a; Passarge & Hofmann 1968; Werf van der 1991
Compiled by
H. Schlüter; U. Bohn; A. Noirfalise, completed by R. Haveman
