Title
Peri-Pannonian pedunculate oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus robur) with Galanthus nivalis, Knautia drymeia
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Austria: Donau plain below Krems, Grazer Land; Slovenia: south of Laibach, eastern part of the country; southwest Hungary; Croatia: Slavonia; Bosnia-Herzegovina: northern distributed; Yugoslavia: Serbia (Vojvodina)
area frequency
45 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Carpino betuli-Quercetum roboris Anic 1959 apud Rauš 1969, Carpino-Quercetum roboris-cerris B. Jovanoviƒ & Z. Tomic 1975, Fraxino-Carpino-Quercetum roboris B. Jovanoviƒ & Z. Tomic 1978, Querco robori-Carpinetum praeillyricum Soó & Borhidi 1958, Fraxino pannonicae-Carpinetum Soó & Borhidi 1962, Fraxino angustifoliae-Carpinetum Borhidi 1963.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three- to four-layered forests with dominant Central European species and many south-European and Illyrian-Balkan elements as differential species. The tree layer is often two-layered with particularly Carpinus betulus in the lower layer. A moderately developed shrub layer. The herb layer varies from completely contiguous to completely absent, and the moss layer is poorly developed.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus, Ulmus laevis, Ulmus minor, Fraxinus angustifolia, Quercus cerris, Acer campestre, Tilia cordata, Tilia tomentosa, Fagus sylvatica, Prunus avium, Alnus glutinosa
Shrub layer
Corylus avellana, Cornus sanguinea, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Euonymus europaea, Frangula alnus, Viburnum opulus, Ribes rubrum
Lianas
locally Hedera helix, Clematis vitalba, Lonicera caprifolium
Herb layer
Circaea lutetiana, Anemone nemorosa, Adoxa moschatellina, Cruciata glabra, Galanthus nivalis, Galium odoratum, Glechoma hirsuta, Knautia drymeia, Asarum intermedium, Arum cylindraceum, Ranunculus ficaria, Carex sylvatica, Listera ovata, Primula acaulis, Gagea lutea, Sanicula europaea, Stachys sylvatica, Carex brizoides, Carex strigosa, Cerastium sylvaticum, Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris carthusiana s. str.
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Sphagnum girgensohnii, Polytrichum formosum among others
Diagnostically important species
Carpinus betulus, Quercus robur; Circaea lutetiana, Veronica montana, Galanthus nivalis, Ruscus aculeatus (not in Austria), Stellaria holostea, Crocus vernus subsp. vernus, Arum cylindraceum
Ecological variants
Intermittently moist forms with Carex brizoides, Molinia arundinacea, fresh forms, and impoverished forms.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Species-rich southwest-Hungarian forms with Carpesium cernuum, Dianthus barbatus, Ruscus aculeatus, Tamus communis; species-deficient Croatian-Slavonian and Austrian forms.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Genisto-Quercetum roboris, Salici-Populetum, Aceri tatarico-Quercetum, Deschampsio flexuosae-Quercetum petraeae, Luzulo-Fagetum, black alder alluvial forest, Stellario bulbosae-Fraxinetum, Molinio arundinaceae-Quercetum, Querco-Ulmetum, Carici elongatae-Alnetum, Asphodelo-Quercetum roboris-cerris.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous mixed oak forests (F20), sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F50, F65), species-poor beech forests (F87), thermophilous mixed pedunculate oak forests (G4), sessile oak-bitter oak forests (G16, G17), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19), mixed silver lime-downy oak forests (G47), alluvial forests (U 9, U16, U17).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pure oak stands, juvenile forests, pine forests; in Austria also spruce forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Shortgrass and wet meadows, Junco-Molinietum, Nardo-Festucetum capillatae etc.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Cereal, potatoes, tobacco, Aperetalia communities.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Arction lappae, Calamagrostietum epigei, Fragario-Rubetum.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Plains of the peri-Pannonian region, greatly influenced by groundwaters, but not yet submerged
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland, colline; 70-200(300) m
Geology (bedrock)
eolian (Pleistocene) and fluviatile (Pleistocene) sediments (old river terraces); Tertiary sediments
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
eutrophic brown soils, parabrown soils to pseudogleys; (eutric cambisols; gleyic luvisols; calcaric and gleyic saline phaeozems; calcaric fluvisols)
soil texture
sand to loam, partly two-layered soils with heavy bottom soil
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moist, periodically moist
soil reaction
weakly acidic, neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2b, VI3c, VI(VII)
average annual temperature
9-12 EC
average annual precipitation
650-900 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 19-21 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January 0-2 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Frequent mist (Austria).
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Very few semi-natural stands remain preserved.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All nearly-natural stands; species worthy of protection: Cerastium sylvaticum, regionally (Hungary) Anemone trifolia, Doronicum orientale, Erythronium dens-canis, Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus, Leucojum vernum, Scilla drunensis.
causes of endangerment
Clearing, drainage, afforestation of non-indigenous tree species (particularly pine).
required measures for protection and restitution
Stand transformation, semi-natural silviculture.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Hungary: Nature reserve lake Baláta, landscape reserve Boronka south of Lake Balaton.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Borhidi 1963; Borhidi 1965; Borhidi & Járai-Komlódi 1959; Kevey & Borhidi 1992; Rauš 1971a; Rauš 1971b; Schume & Starlinger 1996; Soó 1962; Soó 1964a
Compiled by
K. Zukrigl under use of documents by A. Borhidi, Z. Neuhäuslová, M. Zupan…i…
