Title
North Ukrainian-south Sarmatian lime-pedunculate oak forests (Quercus robur, Tilia cordata) with Fraxinus excelsior, Acer campestre, Acer tataricum
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Northeast Ukraine; Russia: central Russian plate
area frequency
113 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Tilieto-Quercetum aceroso (tatarici)-convallarietosum, T.-Q. aceroso (tatarici) caricosum (pilosae), T.-Q. aceroso (tatarici) aegopodiosum, T.-Q. coryloso-asarosum, Fraxineto-Quercetum caricosum (pilosae)-aegopodiosum, F.-Q. galeobdolosum, F.-Q. mercurialosum, Quercetum aegopodiosum, Quercetum herbo-grass brachypodiosum, Quercetum acerosum (campestre).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Multi-layer deciduous forests with a two-layered tree layer. The upper tree layer, 30-35 m tall, is dominated by Quercus robur, with admixtures of Fraxinus excelsior and Ulmus glabra. The dense lower tree layer is formed mainly by Tilia cordata, with admixtures of Acer campestre and Acer platanoides. The shrub layer is loose, the herb layer has about a 25-30 % degree of coverage, with dominant demanding nemoral species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Tilia cordata, with admixture of Ulmus glabra, Ulmus laevis, Ulmus minor, Acer campestre, Acer platanoides
Shrub layer
Corylus avellana, Acer tataricum, Euonymus verrucosa, Euonymus europaea, Cornus sanguinea, Viburnum opulus, Berberis vulgaris, Pyrus communis
Herb layer
Asarum europaeum, Mercurialis perennis, Aegopodium podagraria, Carex pilosa, Lamium galeobdolon, Stellaria holostea, Galium odoratum, Polygonatum multiflorum, Milium effusum, Bromus benekenii, Pulmonaria obscura, Ranunculus cassubicus, Poa nemoralis, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Brachypodium pinnatum, Melica picta, Veronica chamaedrys, Convallaria majalis; spring geophytes: Corydalis cava subsp. marschalliana, Corydalis solida, Anemone ranunculoides, Cardamine quinquefolia, Scilla sibirica, among others
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus robur, Tilia cordata, Fraxinus excelsior, Acer campestre, Acer tataricum, Euonymus verrucosa, Cornus sanguinea; Mercurialis perennis, Poa nemoralis, Brachypodium pinnatum, Lathyrus niger, Glechoma hirsuta, Campanula persicifolia, Hypericum hirsutum, Tanacetum corymbosum
Ecological variants
On moist sites with Alnus glutinosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Athyrium filix-femina, Matteuccia struthiopteris; on drier sites with Carex michelii, Chamaecytisus ruthenicus, Genista tinctoria, Melica picta, Poa angustifolia, Convallaria majalis.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
In the south with Acer tataricum.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Xerophytic pedunculate oak forests and pine pedunculate oak forests; locally meadow steppes with Festuca rupicola, Bromus riparius, Poa angustifolia, Koeleria macrantha, Helictotrichon pubescens, Stipa pennata, Stipa tirsa, Salvia pratensis, Filipendula vulgare, Salvia stepposa, Phlomis tuberosa, Galium verum, Trifolium montanum and shrubs (Prunus stepposa, Rhamnus cathartica, Chamaecytisus ruthenicus, Prunus fruticosa).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pine forests (D55, D57), soil-acidic oak forests (F12, F13), hornbeam forests (F41), lime-pedunculate oak forests (F70, F72), forest steppes (L3, L4, L5, L7), steppes (M1, M2), salt vegetation (P34), tall sedge mires (S25), alluvial and moist forests (U10, U11, U12, U14).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Forestry with Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur, Pinus sylvestris, Ulmus glabra
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows with Festuca rubra, Festuca pratensis, Agrostis capillaris and Poa pratensis; tall-forb vegetation.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Wheat, corn or potato fields.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Hilly country and valley carved plateaus
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline; 150 to 310 m
Geology (bedrock)
eolian, fluviatile, glacial and fluviglacial sediments (Pleistocene above Tertiary and Cretaceous)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
grey to dark grey, often leached, mostly moderately humic soils: degraded black earths, parabrown soils; (orthic greyzems; luvic and haplic chernozems; orthic luvisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral (pH 5,4-6,6)
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)1, VIII(VI)1
average annual temperature
5-7 EC
average annual precipitation
380-560 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 19-22 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -12 to -6 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 decimated and endangered forests.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Rare species: Lilium martagon, Cephalanthera rubra, Cephalanthera longifolia, Lunaria rediviva, Cypripedium calceolus; Euonymus nana, Securigera elegans.
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, timber use, forest conversion, agricultural use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation and protection of all semi-natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia, Ukraine: Zapovedniks: Voroneñskij, Galichia Gora, Choperskij, Voroninskij, Prisurskij, Privolñskaja Lesostep; biosphere reserve: Central'no-„ernozemny; national park: „avaš Varmane, Chvalynskij, Smolny.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Gribova, Isačenko & Lavrenko (Red.) 1980; Kurnaev 1980; Smirnova (Ed.) 1994; Sočava & Semenova-Tjan-Šanskaja 1956
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by Ju.R. Šeljag-Sosonko, completed by G.N. Ogureeva
