Title
Central European hygrophilous pedunculate oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus robur), partly with Tilia cordata, partly with Carex umbrosa, Carex brizoides, Hepatica nobilis
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: Schwalmtal, Naabtal, Saxon loess hilly country (Saxony, Sachsen-Anhalt); Poland: south Baltic lowland, Pomeranian lake district, northernmost Ermland; as a marginal formation in north and central Masuria; Czech Republic: Sudetian intermediate mountains (outlier of Broumov) (not shown on the map)
area frequency
23 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Stellario holosteae-Carpinetum betuli Oberdorfer 1957 (= Querceto-Carpinetum medioeuropaeum Tüxen 1937 p.p. max.); Galio-Carpinetum caricetosum brizoides (Carici brizoides-Carpinetum) (see Schubert 1964 as Carex brizoides-race of the Tilio-Carpinetum or Tilio-Quercetum).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Growthy, mostly two-layered tree layer, with over 80 % degree of coverage (mainly deciduous trees); shrub layer 20-40 % (deciduous trees); herb layer 70-90 % (herbs and grasses, and also sparsely distributed dwarf shrubs); the moss layer is absent or weakly developed (and then only with a few bryophytes).
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus robur dominating, Carpinus betulus, Tilia cordata widespread, rarely Acer platanoides, Acer pseudoplatanus, Quercus petraea. Fagus sylvatica mostly belongs to regularly present components and in some cases it can become a co-dominating tree-species; it only deeply decreases on strongly moist formations.
Shrub layer
Young growth of trees; Corylus avellana, Lonicera xylosteum, Sorbus aucuparia, locally Frangula alnus, Prunus padus
Herb layer
Anemone nemorosa, Galium odoratum, Lamium galeobdolon, Milium effusum, Stellaria holostea, Hepatica nobilis, Carex umbrosa, Melica nutans, Phyteuma spicatum, Poa nemoralis, Polygonatum multiflorum, Scrophularia nodosa, Viola reichenbachiana, Carex digitata, Dryopteris filix-mas; mesotraphent formations: Maianthemum bifolium, Oxalis acetosella, Convallaria majalis, Luzula pilosa, Mycelis muralis, Veronica chamaedrys, Deschampsia flexuosa (especially in the west), Calamagrostis arundinacea (especially in the east), Vaccinium myrtillus; in eutraphent formations rich in geophytes: Aegopodium podagraria, Pulmonaria obscura, Ranunculus ficaria, Anemone ranunculoides, Gagea lutea; indicators of moisture: Carex brizoides, Deschampsia cespitosa, Lysimachia vulgaris, Molinia caerulea, Ajuga reptans.
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Atrichum undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus, distributed Tilia cordata; Anemone nemorosa, Carex digitata, Dryopteris filix-mas, Galium odoratum, Hepatica nobilis, Lamium galeobdolon, Milium effusum, Melica nutans, Phyteuma spicatum, Poa nemoralis, Polygonatum multiflorum, Scrophularia nodosa, Viola reichenbachiana, Stellaria holostea, Carex umbrosa; mesotraphente Ausbildung: Maianthemum bifolium, Oxalis acetosella, Convallaria majalis, Luzula pilosa; Aegopodium podagraria, Pulmonaria obscura
Ecological variants
Various trophic and humidity forms.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
The Stellario-Carpinetum reaches its absolute northeastern limit in Poland. Without forming distinct geographic strains, a floristic gradient can be recognised in a west-east direction. The lower Weichsel represents a boundary to a certain extent: some characterising (west) middle European species, such as Deschampsia flexuosa, Lathyrus linifolius etc., die away here or become very rare, while the more "continental" species such as Calamagrostis arundinacea, Asarum europaeum, Hepatica nobilis, Lathyrus vernus and also Tilia cordata noticeably gain in importance. At the southeasternmost limit of the community there are forms with sparsely and sporadically occurring Sarmatian species (Euonymus verrucosa, Galium schultesii, Isopyrum thalictroides) that already represent transitional forms to the regionally bordering Tilio-Carpinetum.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Melampyro-Fagetum, Galio-Carpinetum luzuletosum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pine forests (D54, D55), acidophilous oak forests (F12, F13), sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F55, F57), species-poor und species-rich beech forests (F80, F107), raised bogs (S9), alder carrs (T1), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U24).
Land use, substitute communities
The forest is mostly only conserved on a small scale.
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pine forestry, Quercus robur and Quercus rubra plantations; vegetation on clear felled ground (often Arctietum nemorosi); scrub (Rubo-Salicetum capreae); forest mantle communities (Rubion subatlanticum); fringe communities of the Alliarion (mostly Alliario-Chaerophylletum temuli).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Moist grass meadows (Calthion); rich pastures (Lolio-Cynosuretum); Arrhenatherion; rarely Molinietalia meadows.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Mainly rye (sometimes also wheat) and potato fields, as well as rape and vegetables. Weed communities: in cereal Aphano-Matricarietum chamomillae in several forms; in root crop fields mostly Lycopsietum arvensis, and on better quality soils Veronico-Fumarietum officinalis.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
More favourable conditions for settlements; the most common ruderal communities in older, traditional villages: Balloto-Chenopodietum, Hordeo-Brometum, Alliario-Chaerophylletum temuli, Urtico-Malvetum neglectae, Lolio-Plantaginetum.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Late glacial landscape of flat-hilly moraine; deep lying sites: higher alluvial terraces, non-submerged lake shores, alluvial plains of streams, lower slopes of valleys and ravines; basins
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland; in Poland about as high as 100 m; Germany: lowland-colline; 100-160 m; Czech Republic: colline
Geology (bedrock)
Fluviatile (Holocene above Tertiary, Cretaceous), fluvioglacial (Pleistocene above Tertiary) and glacial (Pleistocene above Tertiary, Cretaceous, Jurassic) sediments with end moraines of the Weichsel ice-age (Baltic stage)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
eu- to mesotrophic gleyed brown soils or podzolized brown soils; the most important type is browned gley soil; humus form mostly mull or mull-like mor; (eutric gleyic cambisols; gleyic luvisols; eutric gleysols)
soil texture
clayey loam to loamy sand
soil moisture, water balance
mostly moist, more rarely fresh; soils influenced by groundwater and impound water
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VIII), VI7c, VI9b
average annual temperature
Germany: 8,4-9,3 EC; Poland: 7,5-8 EC
average annual precipitation
Germany: 560-670 mm; Poland: 630-650 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 16-19 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -3 to 0 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Valley and basin locations (climate inversion).
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Semi-natural, well preserved stands can still be found not uncommonly in Pomerania, but they do not occupy large areas anywhere; in eastern Germany the remnants are mostly degraded, and greatly endangered in intensively cultivated agricultural areas. In the Czech republic no semi-natural stands are preserved.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Nearly-natural forest stands.
causes of endangerment
Clearing; isolation in the agricultural landscape, intensive forestry; crop field usage; drainage, eutrophication and pollution.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation and protection of the semi-natural remnants; restrictions on usage, designation of protective forest strips.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Germany: nature reserve "Polandzwald", nature reserve "Fasanenholz" (Saxony); Poland: some nature reserves in Pomerania, as for instance In the Forstamt Kartuzy (Cassubian lake distict).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Matuszkiewicz & Matuszkiewicz 1985; Schubert 1964
Compiled by
W. Matuszkiewicz; H. Schlüter; Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by R. Neuhäusl
