Title
Padanian hornbeam-pedunculate oak forests (Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus), partly with Quercus cerris, with Dianthus barbatus, partly alternating with hygrophilous ash forests (Fraxinus excelsior) with Salvia glutinosa
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Italy: Po-plain from Piedmont to Friaul and as far as to the Romagna (Rimini)
area frequency
16 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Querceto-Carpinetum boreoitalicum Pignatti 1953 prov. (syn.: ass. Quercus pedunculata Béguinot 1941 pp.), Ornithogalo pyrenaici-Carpinetum betuli Marin…ek, Poldini & Zupan…i… 1983.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered forests with dominant pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) in the tree layer, additions of Fraxinus excelsior, Carpinus betulus, Acer campestre, and sometimes also Quercus cerris. The shrub layer features mesophilous species. Mesophilous forest species dominate in the herb layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus, Fraxinus excelsior, Acer campestre
Shrub layer
Acer campestre, Cornus sanguinea, Corylus avellana, Crataegus spp., Euonymus europaea, Ligustrum vulgare, Viburnum opulus,
Lianas
Hedera helix, Lonicera caprifolium, Rubus ulmifolius, Tamus communis
Herb layer
Brachypodium sylvaticum, Campanula trachelium, Deschampsia cespitosa, Dianthus barbatus, Galium aristatum, Mercurialis perennis, Melampyrum spp., Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, Vinca minor
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus, Fraxinus excelsior; Deschampsia cespitosa, Cerastium sylvaticum, Dianthus barbatus, Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, Tamus communis
Ecological variants
Moist forms.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Lamium orvala in the eastern part of the Po plain.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Pruno-Fraxinetum, Alnetum glutinosae.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous mixed oak forests (F17), sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F65), sessile oak-bitter oak forests (G12), downy oak forests (G44), oriental beech-downy oak forests (G48, G51), holm oak forests (J19), forest pine forests (K3), dune vegetation (P11), salt vegetation (P27), brackish water reed vegetation (R3), alder carrs (T1), alluvial and moist forests (U15, U20, U24).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Poplar forestry, Prunus spinosa-Crataegus scrub, Rubus ulmifolius scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Arrhenatherion, Calthion, Molinion.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Rice, cereal, corn, vegetable, fruit cultivation.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Lowland plains with shallow upheavals
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland; 0-100 m
Geology (bedrock)
fluviatile sediments (Holocene, Pleistocene)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
parabrown soils, pseudogleys, gleys; (eutric cambisols; orthic and gleyic luvisols; (saline) eutric fluvisols; eutric gleysols)
soil texture
loam, partly clayey, sandy or gravely
soil moisture, water balance
moist to fresh, locally wet
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
eutrophic to mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(VI)1, IV(VI)2, V
average annual temperature
12-13,5 EC
average annual precipitation
600-900 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
June to August 21-25 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
up to -4 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)
Semi-natural forest stands preserved only in small remnants.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Pedunculate oak-hornbeam forests at great peril, species worthy of being protected are lacking for the most part.
causes of endangerment
Agriculture, forest clearing (formerly), drainage, settlement, industry.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of the semi-natural remnants.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Italy: regional nature reserves and parks, e. g. Parco La Mandria (Piedmonte), bosco a nord di Torrate (Friuli-Venezia Giulia).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Marinček, Poldini & Zupančič 1983; Pignatti 1953a; Pignatti 1953b; Ist. Piante Legno Ambiente (Ed.) 1981
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová and F. Pedrotti
