Title
East Armorican oak forests (Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, locally Quercus pyrenaica) of the Loire-basin with Peucedanum gallicum, Festuca heterophylla, Luzula forsteri, Erica scoparia
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
France: Loire-basin between the rivers Loire and Vienne (Sologne, Touraine, Berry)
area frequency
8 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Solidagini-Quercetum petraeae (Gaume 1924) Doing 1962 (= Quercetum sessiliflorae Gaume 1924 nom. illegit., syn.: Peucedano-Quercetum roboris Braun-Blanquet 1967).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Quercus robur and Quercus petraea dominate in the tree layer. Quercus pyrenaica and the naturalized Castanea sativa are added in areas. Populus tremula and Fagus sylvatica occur in a scattered to rare fashion. The shrub layer is well developed and species-rich with Carpinus betulus and Corylus avellana as the most frequent species. There is a largely contiguous herb layer with chamaephytes and hemicryptophytes, Pteridium aquilinum (sometimes forming a facies), and thermophilous species such as Festuca heterophylla, Erica scoparia.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Shrub layer
Young growth of trees, Sorbus torminalis, Prunus avium; Frangula alnus, Ilex aquifolium, Pyrus cordata, Juniperus communis, Corylus avellana, Malus sylvestris, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus laevigata, Pyrus communis, Mespilus germanica, Ligustrum vulgare, Cytisus scoparius, Ruscus aculeatus
Lianas
Hedera helix, Lonicera periclymenum, Tamus communis, Rubus fruticosus agg.
Herb layer
Acidophytes: Pteridium aquilinum, Melampyrum pratense, Solidago virgaurea, Agrostis capillaris, Deschampsia flexuosa, Veronica officinalis, Carex pilulifera, Molinia caerulea, Calluna vulgaris, Potentilla erecta, Holcus mollis, Teucrium scorodonia, Lathyrus linifolius, Hypericum pulchrum, Luzula forsteri, Erica cinerea, Ulex minor, Peucedanum gallicum, Pulmonaria longifolia, Aphodelus albus, Erica scoparia, Serratula tinctoria, Hieracium umbellatum; Convallaria majalis, Stachys officinalis, Polygonatum multiflorum, Festuca heterophylla
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Polytrichum formosum, Dicranum scoparium, Hypnum cupressiforme, Dicranella heteromalla, Pohlia nutans, Pleurozium schreberi, Leucobryum glaucum, Scleropodium purum, Atrichum undulatum, Thuidium tamariscinum, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Hylocomium brevirostre
Diagnostically important species
Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Quercus pyrenaica; Pyrus cordata, Ruscus aculeatus; Tamus communis, Luzula forsteri, Peucedanum gallicum, Festuca heterophylla, Asphodelus albus, Erica scoparia, Erica cinerea, Ulex minor, Pulmonaria longifolia
Ecological variants
Moist form with Betula pubescens, Molinia caerulea.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Western form on glacial drift marls in the Loire plain above Turan chalk (gleyed luvisols) characterised by Erica scoparia and the sporadic occurrence of Quercus pyrenaica (particularly in the vicinity of Angers). Eastern form east of the Loire with occasional beech and characteristic beech companions: Pulmonaria angustifolia, Euphorbia hyberna, Euphorbia angulata, Euphorbia villosa, Euphorbia amygdaloides (Pulmonario-Quercetum euphorbietosum Braque 1982).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Mesotrophic oak-hornbeam forests on glacial drift marls covered by loam; acidic-soil alder carrs with Sphagnum spp. and Salix atrocinerea; riverside alder forests; oligotrophic lakes and ponds, scattered around the Sologne and the Brenne, with aquatic species such as Potamogeton spp., Myriophyllum spp., Utricularia spp., Najas marina, Najas minor, Alisma spp., Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, locally Trapa natans, and aquatic species such as Littorella uniflora, Lobelia dortmanna, Isoetes velata subsp. tenuissima, Hypericum elodes, Pilularia globulifera, Eleocharis multicaulis.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous mixed oak forests (F9, F16), mixed oak-hornbeam forests (F34, F36, F50, F52), species-poor beech forests (F76), species-rich beech forests (F110), downy oak forests (G37), alluvial and moist forests (U8, U25).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Mostly low forest with an open upper tree layer (10 to 25 % coverage); rarely closed high forests. Afforestation of heaths with Pinus pinaster, as well as Pinus sylvestris, Quercus rubra and sometimes Quercus pyrenaica.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
In hollows Molinia meadows with Gentiana pneumonanthe; mesophilous heaths with Ulex spp. and Ericaceae as well as wet heaths. In the Sologne dry heaths with Ulex europaeus, Pteridium aquilinum, Calluna vulgaris and Erica cinerea; mesophilous heaths with Erica ciliaris, Erica scoparia, sometimes Erica vagans, Genista anglica, Simethis planifolia, Lobelia urens, Molinia caerulea and Asphodelus albus; Ulex minor and Erica tetralix heaths in wet hollows and at oligotrophic ponds.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Mixed cultivation with pastures, fodder plants, particularly corn as a supplement in a bocage (hedge) landscape.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
The Sologne is a well-known hunting area.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Lowland to low hilly country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; 20-250 (450) m
Geology (bedrock)
Till, fluviatile sediments (Pleistocene, Holocene), very acidic sandy sediments in Brenne and the Sologne (Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
typical and gleyed podzoles, parabrown soils; humus form: mull-like mor, raw humus; (orthic and gleyic luvisols; orthic and gleyic podzols)
soil texture
sandy, clayey with gravely concretions
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to periodically moist, with moist depressions
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic, oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
V(IV)2, VI(V)1
average annual temperature
10-11,5 EC
average annual precipitation
500-650 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 18-20 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January 3-4 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
In the Loire-basin a relatively warm and dry climate with a summerly deficiency in precipitation rules.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Only small remnants mostly in the form of low forest.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All natural forest communities, oligotrophic ponds.
causes of endangerment
Afforestation, intensification of agriculture, eutrophication of the oligotrophic ponds.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection and regeneration of semi-natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
No details
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Baron, Dupias & Vilks 1982; Braque 1982; Braun-Blanquet 1967a; Corillion 1966; Delélis-Dussolier & Géhu 1975; Gaume 1924a; Gaume 1924b; Lavergne 1987; Mollet 1985; Rameau 1996b; Rameau & Royer 1975; Timbal 1988
Compiled by
A. Noirfalise; C. Hettwer based on documents by J.-C. Rameau; revised by J.R. Cross, J. Pallas, U. Bohn
