Title
West Euxinian mixed sessile oak forests (Quercus polycarpa) with Quercus frainetto, partly with Tilia tomentosa, Carpinus betulus, Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis, with Salvia forskahlii, partly with Sesleria alba, Daphne pontica
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Bulgaria: eastern outposts of the Balkan mountains (Eminska Planina), northeastern Istranca mountains; Turkey: eastern Istranca mountains
area frequency
7 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Querceta polycarpae Bondev 1991; Quercus polycarpa-Quercus frainetto-forests Kantarc2 1976.A characteristic community, leading over to Colchic-Caucasian mixed hornbeam-oak forests; in need of a profound vegetational rearrangement, especially of a comparartive revision and an exact syntaxonomical analysis.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Multi-layered forests with a closed tree layer, a sometimes lacking shrub layer and a well developed herb layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus polycarpa predominating, here and there admixture of Carpinus betulus, Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, Tilia tomentosa, Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis, Castanea sativa, Sorbus torminalis
Shrub layer
Crataegus monogyna, Mespilus germanica, Cornus mas, locally Rhododendron ponticum, Daphne pontica
Lianas
Hedera helix, Rubus fruticosus, here and there Smilax excelsa
Herb layer
Brachypodium sylvaticum, Festuca heterophylla, Poa nemoralis, Melica uniflora, Primula acaulis, Cyclamen coum, Salvia forskahlii, Trachystemon orientalis, Sesleria alba
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Hypnum cupressiforme, Racomitrium canescens
Diagnostically important species
Quercus polycarpa, Quercus frainetto; Mespilus germanica, Cornus mas, Daphne pontica; Sesleria alba, Trachystemon orientalis, Salvia forskahlii, Cyclamen coum
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
in the Istranca mountains with Rhododendron ponticum, Daphne pontica.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Oriental beech forests, alluvial forests.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
Oriental beech forests (F161, F162), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G24), (mixed) Balkan oak forests (G30), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G59, G60).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Forestry with Pinus nigra, Pinus sylvestris, Robinia pseudoacacia; heaths with Calluna vulgaris, Ginista carinalis, Erica arborea, Cistus salviifolius, in the valleys poplar plantations.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows and pastures (small-sized).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Cereals (wheat, corn), beans, potato fields.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Villages to small towns.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Lower altitudes of mountain ranges and foothills.
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; (50)200-500 m
Geology (bedrock)
flysch (Tertiary, Cretaceous), crystal and serecite-slate, granite, quarz-diorite (Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
parabrown soils, partly pseudogleyed, gray-brown podzolic soil; medium to deep; low to medium skeletal; (stony chromic luvisols)
soil texture
sandy to clayey loam, loamy clay
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to periodically moist, locally moderately dry
soil reaction
moderately to weakly acidic (pH 5,5-6,5)
soil fertility
mesotrophic, meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(VII)
average annual temperature
11-13 EC
average annual precipitation
550-900 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 21-23 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January 0-3 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Subcontinental-sub-Mediterranean transition climate with summerly deficiency in precipitation within the influence of the Black Sea.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Very valuable west Euxinian relict forests, protected in parts.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Species worthy of protection: Rhododendron ponticum, Daphne pontica, Prunus laurocerasus, Vaccinium arctostaphylos, Mespilus germanica, Erica arborea, Sesleria alba, Trachystemon orientalis among others
causes of endangerment
Forest clearance, afforestation with habitat-foreign tree species, agriculture, air pollution.
required measures for protection and restitution
Strict protection of semi-natural stands, above all in nature reserves.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Bulgaria: eastern part of the Balkan mountains, Istranca mountains (Sikkosija, Uzunbodñak).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bondev 1991; Irmak, Kurter & Kantarcı 1980; Kantarcı 1976; Kantarcı 1978b; Kantarcı 1979a; Kantarcı 1979b; Kantarcı 1980b; Kantarcı 1981; Kantarcı 1986; Kantarcı 1989a; Kantarcı 1989b; Kantarcı 1997a; Kantarcı & Karaöz 1991; Mayer & Aksoy 1986
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by I. Bondev, with complementing by M.D. Kantarc2
