Title
East Moesian sessile oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus dalechampii) with Corydalis solida subsp. slivenensis
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Bulgaria: northern outliers of the Balkan-mountains (Stara Planina) as well as outliers of the Rila, Pirin and Rhodopes; Greece: border mountains towards Bulgaria
area frequency
29 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Carpinus betulus-Quercus dalechampii-Corydalis slivenensis-ass. (Querco dalechampii-Carpinetum betuli), Quercus petraea-Ges. Gan…ev 1961.The concerning communities need a moderate vegetational revision and a new profound syntaxonomical ordering; also an exact floristic separation from the west Moesian vicariant is needed.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Usually three-layered forests: tree, shrub and herb layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Carpinus betulus, Quercus dalechampii predominating, admixed Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Fraxinus excelsior, locally Acer hyrcanum, Fraxinus ornus, Quercus cerris, Tilia tomentosa
Shrub layer
Crataegus monogyna, Cornus mas, Corylus avellana
Herb layer
Festuca heterophylla, Poa nemoralis, Dactylis glomerata, Corydalis solida subsp. slivenensis, Lathyrus niger, Lathyrus vernus, Helleborus odorus, Melica uniflora, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Cruciata glabra, Stellaria holostea
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Carpinus betulus, Quercus dalechampii, Acer hyrcanum; Corydalis solida subsp. slivenensis, Helleborus odorus, Cruciata glabra
Ecological variants
In addition to the typical subassociation there is also an acidophilous form with Castanea sativa.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
At higher altitudes the role of the beech (Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca) in the stand increases.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca-Corylus colurna community; Quercus dalechampii community; Quercus cerris community; Quercus dalechampii-Ostrya carpinifolia community.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F68), species-poor beech forests (F103), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F123, F151, F152, F153, F154, F158), downy oak-bitter oak-grey oak forests (G35), mixed Quercus polycarpa-oak forests (G9), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G21, G22, G23), Balkan oak forests (G28), downy oak-bitter oak forests (G31), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G58, G59), black pine forests (K16), alluvial forests (U18).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Many stands have been degenerated by earlier woodland grazing as well as middle and low forest management; here, gramineous species increase at the expense of broad-leaved herbaceous plants.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows and pastures (Festucetum rubrae, Cynosuretum cristati).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Crop fields; weed communities have still only been inadequately studied in a phytosociological context.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Dense settlement, no information regarding ruderal vegetation.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Hilly and mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane (to montane)
Geology (bedrock)
Tertiary; Cretaceous, siliceous rock of the Palaeozoic, Precambrian
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic brown soils and parabrown soils, locally ranker; (stony humic cambisols; stony orthic and chromic luvisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to periodically moist
soil reaction
moderately to weakly acidic
soil fertility
mesotrophic to meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2a, VI(VII)
average annual temperature
9-11 EC
average annual precipitation
600-650 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
18-20 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-1 to 2 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
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Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Severely endangered by human activities (particularly by woodland grazing which was practised until only recently); no conservation areas exist.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Lilium martagon.
causes of endangerment
Dense settlement, agriculture, (woodland grazing).
required measures for protection and restitution
Strict protection of representative stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Bulgaria: north slopes in the central Stara Planina (among others Preslavska Planina, Samuilovski Vis).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bondev 1991; Gančev 1961; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974
Compiled by
I. Bondev, by Z. Neuhäuslová and partly W. Matuszkiewicz completed
