Title
Tuscan-middle Italian mixed sessile oak-bitter oak forests (Quercus cerris, Quercus petraea, Carpinus betulus) with Hieracium racemosum, Lathyrus venetus, Serratula tinctoria
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Italy: Umbria (Gubbio-basin), Tuskany (Maremma)
area frequency
5 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Hieracio racemosi-Quercetum petraeae Pedrotti, Ballelli & Biondi 1982, Lathyro-Quercetum petraeae E. Pignatti 1967.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Moderately high, three-layered forests with sub-oceanic traits, and with thermophilous and acidophilous species in the herb layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus cerris, Quercus petraea, admixed Carpinus betulus, Fraxinus ornus
Shrub layer
Cornus mas, Crataegus laevigata, Juniperus communis, Malus florentina, Rosa arvensis, Rosa gallica, Ruscus aculeatus
Lianas
Lonicera caprifolium, Hedera helix, Tamus communis
Herb layer
Hieracium racemosum, Lathyrus venetus, Serratula tinctoria, Calluna vulgaris, Potentilla erecta, Solidago virgaurea, Pteridium aquilinum, Succisa pratensis, Festuca heterophylla, Viola reichenbachiana, Stachys officinalis, Cruciata glabra, Fragaria vesca, Genista germanica, Luzula forsteri, Molinia caerulea, Oenanthe pimpinelloides
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
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Diagnostically important species
Quercus cerris, Quercus petraea; Hieracium racemosum, Lathyrus venetus, Serratula tinctoria, Molinia caerulea, Oenanthe pimpinelloides
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
No details
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
mixed sessile oak-bitter oak forests (G11, G14), holm oak forests (J17), cork oak forests (J28), freshwater tall reed swamps (R1), alluvial and lowland forests (U18, U34).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
oak-sweet chestnut low forest, Castanea sativa, Populus tremula stands, Cytisus scoparius scrub, Calluno genistion.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
No details
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Stellarietea mediae; Helianthemetea guttatae towards the south.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Artemisietea communities.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly country and weakly reliefed plateaus
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline; 350-430 m
Geology (bedrock)
tuff, quarzlaterite, flysch (Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
leached and acidic brown soils, pseudogleys; (dystric and vertic cambisols; orthic luvisols; vitric andosols; planosols)
soil texture
clayey loam, loamy sand
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry, partly periodically moist
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic to mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV4
average annual temperature
11-13 °C
average annual precipitation
>1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 21-23 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January 2-4 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Precipitation mostly in autumn and winter, rarely in summer. Thermic inversions (about 40-45 days with fog) in winter and spring
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Forest stands strongly degraded and severely threatened
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All communities are worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
Low forest management, clearing, agricultural use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Maintenance of semi-natural stands and promotion of natural regeneration.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Italy: Piana di Gubbio (Umbria) - forests.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
Italy: Piana di Gubbio (Umbria) - heaths, Nanocyperion-communities (Calluna vulgaris, Succisa pratensis, Cicendia filiformis, Radiola linoides, Juncus tenageia, Anagallis minima, Hypericum humifusum, Peplis portula, Juncus capitatus).
.
Most important references (author, year)
Pedrotti, Ballelli & Biondi 1987; Pignatti 1967
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová and N. Doniţă based on documents by F. Pedrotti, completed by F. Spada
