Title
North Pannonian-Carpathian sessile oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Tilia cordata) with (few) Fagus sylvatica, with Carex pilosa, Melica uniflora
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Czech Republic: central and southeast Moravia, Slovakia: colline marginal sites of the Carpathians from west to east Slovakia; Austria: Lower Austria and central Burgenland; Hungary: north and central Hungary; Ukraine: western outliers of the Carpathians
area frequency
27 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Carici pilosae-Carpinetum Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1964, em. Borhidi 1996; (syn.: Querceto-Carpinetum carpaticum Klika 1943 p.p., Querco petraeae-Carpinetum Soó (1931) Soó & Pócs ex Soó 1962 p.p., Waldsteinio-Carpinetum (Jakucs & Jurko 1967) Soó 1971; Querceto-Carpinetum praetatricum Mikyška 1939 p.p., Querceto-Carpinetum melicetosum uniflorae Futák 1947).The community is closely related to the submontane form of the south Polish-pre-Carpathian race of the Tilio-Carpinetum (KE F42) but distinctively differentiated by the presence of several south-European species. (comment by W. Mat.)
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered, moderately tall closed mixed oak-hornbeam forests (18-25 m); a mostly weakly developed shrub layer; a species-rich herb layer (approx. 50 species) in which gramineous species prevail; the moss layer is insignificant.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus petraea, Carpinus betulus, Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides, Prunus avium, scattered Fagus sylvatica
Shrub layer
Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ligustrum vulgare, Cornus sanguinea, Euonymus verrucosa
Lianas
Clematis vitalba, Lonicera caprifolium
Herb layer
Carex pilosa, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Galium schultesii, Melittis melissophyllum subsp. carpatica, Symphytum tuberosum subsp. angustifolium, Lathyrus niger, Festuca heterophylla, Viola mirabilis, Primula acaulis, Galium odoratum, Lathyrus vernus, Melica uniflora, Pulmonaria officinalis, Asarum europaeum, Campanula trachelium, Poa nemoralis, Viola reichenbachiana, Stellaria holostea, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Lamium montanum, Dactylis polygama, locally Allium ursinum among others spring geophytes
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
mostly missing
Diagnostically important species
Quercus petraea, Carpinus betulus; Carex pilosa, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Galium schultesii, Melittis melissophyllum subsp. carpatica, Lathyrus niger, Viola mirabilis, Symphytum tuberosum subsp. angustifolium, Festuca heterophylla, Cardamine bulbifera, Melica uniflora
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
The Carpathian-north Hungarian variant is distinguished by Helleborus purpurascens and Scilla buekkensis from the west Pannonian variant with Helleborus dumetorum, Daphne laureola, Isopyrum thalictroides and Scilla vindobonensis.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Carici pilosae-Fagetum, Daphno laureolae-Fagetum, Mercuriali-Tilietum, Quercetum petraeae-cerris; dry grassland (Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucion pallentis etc.).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous mixed oak forests (F20, F22), mixed oak-hornbeam forests (F43, F46, F57, F65), species-poor beech forests (F86, F87), species-rich beech forests (F120, F125, F134, F135), sand steppe-mixed oak forests (G5), sessile oak-bitter oak forests (G16), alluvial forests (U9, U16).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Predominantly deciduous forest, usually low forest, rarely spruce and larch forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Arrhenatherion meadows.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Cereal, corn, orchards, vineyards.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Mountain ridges, slopes as well as flat locations
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 200-500 m
Geology (bedrock)
bluff formation (Pleistocene); Tertiary sediments, andesite, basalt, tuffs, flysch (Tertiary); limestone, dolomite (Cretaceous, Triassic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
base-rich brown soils, parabrown soils, often pseudogleyed; (vertic and lithic eutric cambisols; orthic and gleyic luvisols)
soil texture
loamy, loamy-clayey
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2b, VI(VII)1, VI9b, VI(X)b
average annual temperature
8,5-10,5 EC
average annual precipitation
Czech Republic/Slovakia: 520-700 mm; Austria: 600-700 mm; Hungary: 650-800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 18-20 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -4 to -1 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
---
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Sessile oak stands, low forest stands of poor quality; in Austria they are sometimes still well preserved.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All nearly-natural stands are worthy of protection. Rare species worthy of protection: Daphne mezereum, Daphne laureola, Lilium martagon, Eranthis hyemalis, Erythronium dens-canis, Waldsteinia geoides, Scilla buekkensis, Hepatica nobilis, Platanthera bifolia, Bupleurum longifolium, Hacquetia epipactis, Cephalanthera longifolia.
causes of endangerment
Timber harvesting, clearing, transformation into non-indigenous cultivations, agricultural usage.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Czech Republic: White Carpathians, valley of the creek Mandát among others, ðdánický les highland, Chíiby: northwestern of Víesovice, Vizovická vrchovina; Slovakia: Lower Carpathians among others; Austria: Falkensteiner Klippen, Hundsheimer Kogel, Leitha mountains; Hungary: national park of Bükk and of Aggtelek.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Borhidi 1968; Borhidi & Kevey 1996; Horánszky 1964; Karrer & Kilian 1990; Mayer 1974; Moravec, Husová, Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1982; Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1968; Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1972b; Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1971; Neuhäuslová 2001b; Soó 1962; Soó 1964a; Wallnöfer, Mucina & Grass 1993; Zólyomi 1958; Zólyomi (Red.) 1958; Zukrigl (Red.) 1977
Compiled by
A. Borhidi; Z. Neuhäuslová; H. Wagner, completed by K. Zukrigl
