Title
(Atlantic-)subatlantic hygrophilous oak-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur) with Molinia caerulea
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: northwest German lowland, Hither Palatinate; Netherlands: eastern part; Belgium: only small-scaled (not shown on the map)
area frequency
16 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Fago-Quercetum molinietosum R. Tüxen (1937) 1955.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Moderately to well-growing cathedral forests of dominant beech with different admixtures of oak; the proportion of tree species depends very much on the site. The flat rooting beech is weakened here in vitality and is sometimes displaced by the oaks. The shrub, herb and moss layers are usually sparse and very interspersed.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur
Shrub layer
sparsely Frangula alnus, Sorbus aucuparia, Ilex aquifolium (in the west and northwest)
Lianas
Lonicera periclymenum
Herb layer
hygrophilous differential species: Molinia caerulea, more rarely Deschampsia cespitosa, further Pteridium aquilinum, Oxalis acetosella, Deschampsia flexuosa, Carex pilulifera, Vaccinium myrtillus, Luzula pilosa, Dryopteris carthusiana
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Mnium hornum, Polytrichum formosum, Leucobryum glaucum
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur; Lonicera periclymenum; Molinia caerulea (differential species towards the dry (oak) beech forest), Pteridium aquilinum, Deschampsia flexuosa, Carex pilulifera
Ecological variants
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Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
In the west and northwest with Ilex aquifolium, Lonicera periclymenum and Teucrium scorodonia; in the mountains with Luzula luzuloides.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Wavy hairgrass-beech forest.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
soil-acidic oak forests (F8, F9), mixed oak-hornbeam forests (F35), species-poor beech forests (F77, F83), species-rich beech forests (F107, F110), raised bogs (S8), alder carrs (T1), mosaic of wet birch forests and heaths instead of degraded lowland-raised bogs (T5), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U24, U28).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Molinia-Rubus pine and spruce forestry, oak and birch-oak stands; Frangula alnus scrub, bramble scrub (Rubetum grati, in the northern rubetosum ammobii subassociation).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Fresh and typical rye-grass meadows, locally moist meadows (Cynosurion).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Apera spica-venti and Chenopodium album communities, Spergula arvensis-Echinochloa crus-galli, Spergula arvensis-Chrysanthemum segetum communities.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Where there is no usage: broom-rich wet sandy heaths.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Pleistocene (northwest-German) lowlands
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland; 0-200 m
Geology (bedrock)
alluvium blanket sands, sand-bluff formation above ground moraine/Lauenberger clay (Pleistocene); fluviatile sediments
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
base-poor pseudogleys, podzole-pseudogleys; (dystric planosols; gleyic podzoluvisols; gleyic podzols)
soil texture
lightly loamed sand
soil moisture, water balance
periodically moist
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2, VI(V)2
average annual temperature
7,9-8,5 EC
average annual precipitation
600-850 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
16-18 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
0-2 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)
Only a few semi-natural stands remain preserved.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Ericetum tetralices orchietosum, Gentiano pneumonanthes-Nardetum.
causes of endangerment
Low forest management, forest grazing, clearing of forests; transformation of semi-natural forests into plantations; modification and destruction of the sites by agriculture and forestry.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of all semi-natural stands and regeneration by natural succession.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Germany: primeval forest reserve Altes Gehege (Lower Saxony), primeval forest cell Amelsbüren, primeval forest cell Kreitzberg (North Rhine-Westphalia). Netherlands: Liesbos (nature reserve), Limbrichterbos (nature reserve), Boerskotten (nature reserve), Lieverder Noordbos (nature reserve).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Krause & Schröder 1979; Trautmann 1966; Werf van der 1991
Compiled by
U. Bohn, completed by R. Havemann
