Title
South subatlantic thermophilous sessile oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea) with Quercus pubescens, partly with Buxus sempervirens
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
France: Loire-valley near Roanne, Isère valley, Rhône valley; Switzerland: Rhône valley; Germany: Upper Rhine (Kaiserstuhl, near Basel)
area frequency
8 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Galio sylvatici-Carpinetum betuli Oberdorfer 1957, thermophilous formations of dry-warm locations; Lithospermo-Quercetum petraeae Braun-Blanquet 1932.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Distinctively layered shrub-rich shrub forest with a well developed herb layer and numerous thermophilous species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, admixed Quercus pubescens, Fraxinus excelsior, Tilia cordata, Tilia platyphyllos, Prunus avium, Acer campestre, Acer opalus (rare), Sorbus aria, Sorbus torminalis, Sorbus domestica
Shrub layer
Buxus sempervirens, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus curvisepala, Ligustrum vulgare, Berberis vulgaris, Cornus sanguinea, Viburnum lantana, Rhamnus cathartica, Corylus avellana, Rosa arvensis, locally Colutea arborescens, Hippocrepis emerus
Lianas
Hedera helix, Clematis vitalba
Herb layer
Mercurialis perennis, Campanula trachelium, Pulmonaria obscura, Bromus benekenii, Lilium martagon, Hepatica nobilis, Hieracium murorum, Phyteuma spicatum, Solidago virgaurea, locally Brachypodium pinnatum, thermophilous species: Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Melittis melissophyllum, Polygonatum odoratum, Primula veris subsp. columnae, Tanacetum corymbosum, Viola hirta
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Quercus pubescens; Buxus sempervirens, Ligustrum vulgare; Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Melittis melissophyllum, Polygonatum odoratum, Primula veris subsp. columnae, Tanacetum corymbosum, Viola hirta
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Rock grassland, limestone rubble vegetation (with Thlaspi montanum).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous mixed oak forests (F10), mixed oak-hornbeam forests (F35, F36, F50, F51, F52), species-poor beech forests (F82), species-rich beech forests (F110, F129, F132), downy oak forests (G39, G40), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U25, U27).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Middle and low forests, pine forestry, privet-blackthorn scrub, thermophilous fringe communities.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
The driest the of Mesobromion communities.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Vineyards, fruit cultivation.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Warm, precipitation poorer areas in the hills and lower mountains
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 150-600 (800) m
Geology (bedrock)
limestone, clay stone, clay (Tertiary, Jurassic, Keuper, variegated sandstone)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
rendzines, pelosols, brown soils; (rendzic leptosols; vertisols; eutric vertic cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to very dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to weakly alkaline
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(X)3; VI4, VI2a, V(IV), VI1
average annual temperature
9,5-12,5 EC
average annual precipitation
600-900 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
18-21 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-1 to 3 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Dry-warm summer months poor in precipitation.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Rare forest community, usually altered or degraded by land usage.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Quercus pubescens, Acer opalus, Staphylea pinnata; Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum.
causes of endangerment
Timber harvesting, clearing, agricultural use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Strict protection of representative stands as natural forest reserves.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
France: Loire valley near Roanne; Switzerland: southeast slope of the Jura (east Ketten); Germany: Kaiserstuhl, Isteiner Klotz, Nature reserve Buchswald near Grenzach.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Ellenberg & Klötzli 1972; Keller 1975; Kissling 1983; Klötzli 1968; Müller Th. & Oberdorfer 1974
Compiled by
F. Klötzli, U. Bohn
