Title
Central European sessile oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea), mostly with Fagus sylvatica, with Sorbus torminalis, Carex montana, Hepatica nobilis
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: Thuringian basin, Fläming, eastern part of Brandenburg (Barnim) and Saxony on rich ground moraines; Poland: west Polish lowland (also in the hilly country), upper Oder, middle Warthe
area frequency
23 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Galio sylvatici-Carpinetum betuli. The formation is in Poland signified as lowland/colline altitudinal type of the Oder/Warthe race of the Galio-Carpinetum Oberdorfer 1957 (= Querco-Carpinetum medioeuropaeum R. Tüxen 1937 p.p.); Thuringia: Calamagrostis arundinacea race of the Galio-Carpinetum typicum + primuletosum elatioris (compare to Schlüter 1968).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
The tree layer is stepped to cathedral forest-like, closed (deciduous trees); the shrub layer is well developed at 20-40 % (deciduous species); the herb layer is species-rich at 70-90 % (herbs, and in poorer forms also grasses and sparse dwarf shrubs); the moss layer is either absent or weakly developed (and in this case only with a few bryophytes).
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, Tilia cordata; often Fagus sylvatica as accompagnying tree species; Sorbus torminalis stemwise admixed, Acer campestre, Ulmus minor
Shrub layer
Corylus avellana, Euonymus europaea, Crataegus species, Lonicera xylosteum
Lianas
Hedera helix (climbing on tree stems in the east as high as to an altitude of medium snow cover)
Herb layer
Galium sylvaticum, Convallaria majalis, Festuca heterophylla, Dactylis polygama, Lathyrus niger, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Melica nutans, Carex umbrosa, Stellaria holostea, Lamium galeobdolon, Anemone nemorosa, Asarum europaeum, Hepatica nobilis, Lilium martagon, Sanicula europaea, Ranunculus auricomus, Potentilla sterilis, Polygonatum multiflorum; in moist and nutrient-rich formations: Circaea lutetiana, Ranunculus ficaria, Aegopodium podagraria, Festuca gigantea, Deschampsia cespitosa, Stachys sylvatica, Anemone ranunculoides, Pulmonaria obscura, Corydalis cava, Corydalis solida, Corydalis intermedia
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Atrichum undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Carpinus betulus, Tilia cordata, Quercus petraea, Sorbus torminalis, Acer campestre; Stellaria holostea, Dactylis polygama, Melampyrum nemorosum, Festuca heterophylla, Galium sylvaticum, Convallaria majalis, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Lathyrus niger, Deschampsia cespitosa
Ecological variants
Apart from the typical form there are habitat-determined subassociations: mesotrophic, dry/fresh with acidophilous species (Calamagrostis arundinacea, Vaccinium myrtillus etc.); thermophilous with Carex montana, Tanacetum corymbosum, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, Bupleurum longifolium; hygrophilous with humidity indicators (mostly penetrating Alno-Ulmion species); wet soil, eutrophic with mass occurrences of spring geophytes (Allium ursinum, Corydalis spp., Ranunculus ficaria, Gagea spp.); calcareous form with Hepatica nobilis, Lathyrus vernus, Viola mirabilis, Lilium martagon, Anemone ranunculoides.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
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Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Potentillo-Quercetum, Tilio-Quercetum, Asperulo-Fagetum, Carici-Fagetum, Aceri-Fraxinetum, Stellario-Carpinetum, Carici remotae-Fraxinetum; dry grassland complex (Festucetalia valesiacae).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pine forests (D54), acidophilous oak forests (F11, F12, F20), mixed oak-hornbeam forests (F38, F42a, F56, F57), species-poor beech forests (F80, F85, F90, F96), species-rich beech forests (F107, F110, F113, F114, F119), oak and pine-oak forests (G1), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U24).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Middle and low forests, oak and pine-forestry; hedges and scrub: Carpino-Prunetum spinosae. Forest clearing vegetation (Arctietum nemorosi etc. the Fragarion alliance); fringe communities (Trifolio-Agrimonietum, Vicietum sylvatico-dumetorum, Alliario-Chaerophylletum temuli etc.); trampled vegetation (Prunello-Plantaginetum).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Grass meadows cut several times per year, permanent and intensive pastures (Arrhenatheretum group); with wetter sites: Junco-Molinietum (on poorer sites), Calthion communities; semiarid grassland (Bromion erecti, rare).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Usually has already long been converted for agricultural use; highly productive wheat-beet complexes, occasionally rye, potatoes; industry and fodder plants, vegetable and fruit cultivation. Segetal vegetation: cereal communities (Vicietum tetraspermae typicum and consolidetosum, in the western part sometimes also Aphano-Matricarietum); in root crop communities there is mostly Lamio-Veronicetum politae and the richest forms of the Echinochloo-Setarietum; in intensively fertilized fields near to villages: Galinsogo-Setarietum; Euphorbio-Melandrietum.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
These areas have been favoured for settlement since the Middle Ages: densely packed villages with orchards, rich agricultural holdings, large farm estates, usually with spacious parks; ruderal communities are luxuriantly and richly developed; particularly typical communities: Leonuro-Arctietum, Tanaceto-Artemisietum, Urtico-Malvetum, Lolio-Plantaginetum amongst others.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Subcontinentally influenced basin, “Börde” and hilly landscapes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; to 350 m
Geology (bedrock)
bluff formation, Pleistocene boulder loams; Holocene sediments in river valleys; glacial sediments of the Weichsel ice-age and the Saale ice-age (Pleistocene)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
Ripe and weakly podzolized brown and gray-brown podzolic soil (lessivés); pseudogley and gley-soils; pelosols; mull-humus carbonate soil; (eutric cambisols; orthic, vertic and gleyic luvisols)
soil texture
sandy to clayey loams, silt
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry, partly moist to periodically moist/dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI7c
average annual temperature
7,5-8,5 EC
average annual precipitation
(480) 530-630 mm;
average temperature of the warmest month
17,5-18,5 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-1 to -0,5 EC, Poland: -3,1 to -2,3 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Subcontinental, spring-moist and sommer-dry.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Well preserved representative stands are rarely encountered; they are usually forest remnants influenced by plantation.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All natural units; species worthy of protection: Leucojum vernum (Thuringia), Hepatica nobilis, Lilium martagon, Primula veris.
causes of endangerment
Timber harvesting, agricultural usage, isolation in areas of large scale intensive agricultural land use, eutrophication, ruderalisation.
required measures for protection and restitution
Natural forest cells with protection and buffer zones, relief from general environmental stress.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Germany: nature reserve ”Großer Gleisberg” (Thuringia), nature reserve "Großschwabhäuser Hain", nature reserve "Prinzenschneise" (Ettersberg), nature reserve "Hain" (district of Arnstadt); nature reserve "Still", nature reserve "Eichelberg" (district Meiningen); Poland: nature reserves: "D“bina" near Wgrowiec, "Dbrowa" and "Jakubowo" near Pniewy, "Czerniejewo" and "Nekla" near WrzeÑnia, "Czeszewo" and Kleka near ðroda Wlkp., "Jasne Pole" near Krotoszyn.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Hofmann 1962; Hofmann 1964a; Krotoska 1966; Krotoska 1976; Krotoska, Pawłow & Piotrowska 1965; Matuszkiewicz & Matuszkiewicz 1985; Meusel 1951/1952; Müller Th. 1992; Neuhäusl 1981; Passarge 1953; Passarge 1957; Passarge & Hofmann 1968; Schlüter 1963; Schlüter 1964b; Schlüter 1968; Schubert 1964; Wojterski 1960
Compiled by
H. Schlüter; W. Matuszkiewicz; revised by U. Bohn
