Title
Central European sessile oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea), partly with Tilia cordata, with few Fagus sylvatica, with Hepatica nobilis, Melampyrum nemorosum, locally with Luzula luzuloides-sessile oak forests
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: Magdeburger Börde (Saxony-Anhalt), Bay of Leipzig (Saxony); Poland: western central Poland between Weichsel and middle Warthe (Kujavia), south Pomerellen; Czech Republic: central and east Bohemia, central Moravia; Austria: east slope of the Bohemian Massive towards the Tertiary hilly country of the Weinsektor
area frequency
16 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Galio sylvatici-Carpinetum betuli Oberdorfer 1957, east Germany: Calamagrostis arundinacea-race of the Galio-Carpinetum typicum + primuletosum elatioris Schlüter 1968, Tilio-Carpinetum Hofmann 1960; Poland: regional Kujavian-race of the Galio-Carpinetum; Czech Republic: Melampyro nemorosi-Carpinetum Passarge 1957 (syn.: Galio-Carpinetum auct. bohem., Querco-Carpinetum bohemicum Klika 1932).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Moderately tall, two- to three-layered small-leaved lime-sessile oak-hornbeam forests; moderately to well developed shrub layer (deciduous trees); herb layer 70-90 % dominated by mesophilous herbs and grasses; the moss layer is absent or weakly developed (and then with only a few bryophytes). The unit is very heterogenous - both edaphically and geographically - and is characterised above all by a preponderance of Tilia cordata, the lack or even absence of Fagus sylvatica, and regionally by Ulmus minor.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Tilia cordata, Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, Acer platanoides, locally Sorbus torminalis, Acer campestre
Shrub layer
Corylus avellana, Euonymus europaea, Crataegus spp., Rubus idaeus, Lonicera xylosteum, Cornus sanguinea; in Poland Euonymus verrucosa
Lianas
Hedera helix; in Austria Lonicera caprifolium (rare)
Herb layer
Galium sylvaticum, Melampyrum nemorosum, Convallaria majalis, Festuca heterophylla, Stellaria holostea, Aegopodium podagraria, Anemone nemorosa, Asarum europaeum, Hepatica nobilis, Lamium galeobdolon, Lilium martagon, Pulmonaria obscura, Melica nutans, Dactylis polygama, Calamagrostis arundinacea; Poa nemoralis, Lathyrus vernus, Viola reichenbachiana, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Carex umbrosa, Symphytum tuberosum; in geophyte-rich formations: Anemone ranunculoides, Corydalis cava, Corydalis solida, Ranunculus ficaria, locally Allium ursinum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Atrichum undulatum
Diagnostically important species
Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Acer platanoides, Tilia cordata; Hepatica nobilis, Lilium martagon, Asarum europaeum, Tanacetum corymbosum, Campanula persicifolia, Lathyrus niger, Melampyrum nemorosum, Festuca heterophylla, Galium sylvaticum, Convallaria majalis; Stellaria holostea, Dactylis polygama, Melica nutans, Poa nemoralis, Aegopodium podagraria, Pulmonaria obscura
Ecological variants
The species-rich community is less changeable edaphically and floristically, and locally there are poorer, thermophilous or moist forms.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Kujavian strain of the Galio sylvatici-Carpinetum in Poland, characterised by Sarmatian species (Isopyrum thalictroides, Euonymus verrucosa). In eastern Bohemia, central and western Morovia with Carex pilosa, Euphorbia amygdaloides, in western Moravia with Cyclamen purpurascens; in Austria locally with Lonicera caprifolium, Symphytum tuberosum subsp. angustifolium.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Czech Republic: Potentillo albae-Quercetum, Luzulo albidae-Quercetum, Cynancho-Quercetum; Austria: gneiss red pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest (Cardaminopsio petraeae-Pinetum), Carici remotae-Fraxinetum, Stellario-Alnetum glutinosae.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous pine forests (D54, D57), acidophilous oak forests (F11, F12), mixed oak-hornbeam forests (F38, F55), species-poor beech forests (F77, F85), species-rich beech forests (F110, F114), oak- and pine-oak forests (G1), alder carrs (T1), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U24).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Low and middle forests, spruce forestry, pine forestry, oak stands, rarely Robinia stands; scrub: Rubo fruticosi-Prunetum spinosae; fringe communities (Trifolio-Agrimonietum, Vicietum sylvatico-dumetorum, Alliario-Chaerophylletum temuli etc.); forest clearing vegetation (Arctietum nemorosi).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Multiannually mown grass meadows, permanent and intensive pastures (Arrhenatherion, Cynosurion); semiarid grassland (rare).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Intensive arable farming has already been practiced for a long time: cereals, sugar beets, corn. Cereal communities: Vicietum tetraspermae typicum and consolidetosum, Aphano-Matricarietum; in root crop fields mostly Lamio-Veronicetum politae and rich forms of the Echinochloo-Setarietum; in intensively fertilized fields near villages: Galinsogo-Setarietum, Euphorbio-Melandrietum Galinsogo-Setarietum, Mueller 1964; viniculture in the south.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Typical ruderal communities: Leonuro-Arctietum, Tanaceto-Artemisietum, Urtico-Malvetum, Lolio-Plantaginetum; Dauco-Melilotion Goers 1966.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Subcontinentally influenced basin, “Börde” and hilly landscapes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; Germany/Poland: as high as 350 m, Czech Republic/Austria: as high as 500 m
Geology (bedrock)
Pleistocene boulder loams; base-rich rocks of different formations, mostly covered by bluff formation
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
base-rich brown soils (partly black earth-like), pelosols, parabrown soils (partly gleyed), browned humus carbonate soil, para-humus carbonate soil, locally pseudogleys and gleys; (eutric and humic cambisols; eutric and gleyic luvisols; rendzic leptosols)
soil texture
loamy sands to clayey loams
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry, locally periodically moist to moist
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)1, VI(VII)2, VI(VII)3, VI7c, VI6b
average annual temperature
7-9 EC
average annual precipitation
450-600 (700) mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 17-19 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -3 to 0 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Dry-warm summer months.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Only a few semi-natural stands remain preserved, since they have already long been intensively exploited for agricultural purposes.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All nearly-natural stands are worthy of protection. Protected o rare species: Leucojum vernum (Thuringia), Hepatica nobilis, Lilium martagon; Primula veris, Bupleurum longifolium, Knautia drymeia, Viola mirabilis, Melittis melissophyllum, Cyclamen purpurascens, Vicia pisiformis, Monotropa hypophegea.
causes of endangerment
Timber harvesting, forestry, conifer cultivation, agricultural use, eutrophication and pollution.
required measures for protection and restitution
Semi-natural silviculture, protection of representative stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Czech Republic: Biosphere reserve Kíivoklátsko, landscape reserve „eský Kras (Bohemian Karst); Austria: central Kamp valley (Lower Austria, landscape reserve), Wachau (Lower Austria, landscape reserve).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Hofmann 1962; Hofmann 1964a; Matuszkiewicz & Matuszkiewicz 1985; Meusel 1951/1952; Moravec, Husová, Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1982; Müller Th. 1992; Neuhäusl 1981; Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1966; Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1968; Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1969; Neuhäuslová 2001b; Passarge 1953; Passarge 1957; Passarge & Hofmann 1968; Schlüter 1963; Schlüter 1968; Schubert 1964; Wagner 1967; Wallnöfer, Mucina & Grass 1993
Compiled by
W. Matuszkiewicz; R. Neuhäusl and Z. Neuhäuslová; H. Schlüter; H. Wagner, completed by K. Zukrigl; revised by U. Bohn
