Title
Central European Luzula luzuloides-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) with Abies alba, with Prenanthes purpurea
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Germany: Swabian Keuper-Lias-land, Frankenwald, Upper Palatinate and Bavarian forest, foreland of the Alps; Austria: Mühlsektor; Poland: hilly country of Kielce, Beskides; Slovakia: eastern margin of the High Tatra
area frequency
15 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Luzulo-Fagetum Meusel 1937, colline-submontane form with Abies alba, east Bavarian-race Seibert 1968.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
In addition to the dominant beech, moderately growing oaks are always scattered in the largely monolayered forests, particularly Quercus petraea, and in fresh-moist forms also Quercus robur, while there is also a varying participation of fir. The growth of the trees is moderate to good. The shrub layer is usually only sparsely developed, consisting primarily of beech upgrowths; the herb layer is also species deficient with a small degree of coverage.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica dominating, admixed Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, Abies alba
Shrub layer
predominately young growth of Fagus sylvatica, Sorbus aucuparia, Frangula alnus, Sambucus racemosa
Herb layer
Luzula luzuloides, Carex pilulifera, Deschampsia flexuosa, Vaccinium myrtillus, Oxalis acetosella, Prenanthes purpurea, locally Anemone nemorosa, Milium effusum, Galium odoratum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Polytrichum formosum, Dicranum scoparium
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba; Luzula luzuloides, Prenanthes purpurea
Ecological variants
Milium effusum form on base-richer soils, fern-rich form on fresh shaded slopes.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
in Germany:- an "eastern" vicariant in which subatlantic species are practically absent, and in their place Calamagrostis arundinacea as well as Tilia cordata start to appear;- the vicariant of the Franconian area without any specific differential-species. Natural occurrences of Pinus sylvestris may occur in this vicariant;- the vicariant of the foothills of the Alps in which Quercus petraea is replaced by Quercus robur; from Bavaria it extends also into the southern Muehl quadrant (upper Austria).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Cardamino enneaphylli-Fagetum, and along streams Carici remotae-Fraxinetum, Stellario-Alnetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
spruce forests (D34a), acidophilous oak and mixed oak forests (F18, F19, F20t), pedunculate oak-hornbeam forests (F38), species-poor beech and fir-beech forests (F85, F96, F97), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F110, F113, F115), alluvial and moist forests (U9).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
pine and spruce forestry; pioneer forest stages with Betula pendula, Populus tremula, Salix caprea; forest clearing vegetation: Epilobio-Senecionetum; broom scrub (Calluno-Sarothamnetum).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
With extensive agricultural use: dwarf-shrub heaths and shortgrass meadows: Polygalo-Nardetum, Calluno-Genistetum; Alchemillo-Cynosuretum, Alchemillo-Arrhenathereten.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Crop field weed communities: Panicetum ischaemi, Chenopodio-Oxalidetum, Teesdalio-Arnoseridetum, Galeopsio-Aphanetum.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Higher hilly country, lower mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 200-600 m
Geology (bedrock)
sandstone; gneiss, crystal slate, clay slate, grauwacke, granites (Triassic; Palaeozoic, Precambrian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic, base-poor brown soils and parabrown soils, partly podzolized, partly pseudogleyed, locally ranker; ((stony) dystric cambisols; dystric luvisols; leptosols)
soil texture
sand, sandy to clayey loam, partly stony
soil moisture, water balance
fresh, locally stagnating moist
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic, oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI8b, VI(X)b, VI(X)d
average annual temperature
8-11 EC
average annual precipitation
(630) 800-1100 (1900) mm
average temperature of the warmest month
15-18 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
-2 to 1 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
---
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Only a few semi-natural stands are preserved, and then mostly pure beech forests; mostly converted into spruce and pine forestry.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Transformation of semi-natural forests into coniferous plantations; modification of the habitats by liming.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection of representative semi-natural forest areas.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Germany: primeval forest reserve Hengstberg, primeval forest reserve Gailenberg (Bavaria), BW Steinhäusle, BW Schmalenberg (Baden-Württemberg).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Seibert 1968; Wallnöfer, Mucina & Grass 1993
Compiled by
U. Bohn; H. Wagner, completed by K. Zukrigl
