Title
Illyrian-west Moesian Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, partly Quercus pubescens, Quercus petraea agg.) with Genista species and Crocus veluchensis
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Croatia: Dalmatia; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Yugoslavia: widely distributed in the whole country; Macedonia; Albania; north-west Greek
area frequency
36 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Quercetum frainetto-cerris Rudski (1940) 1949, Rusco-Quercetum frainetto-cerris Jovanović 1951, Hieracio-Quercetum frainetto-cerris Jovanović 1979, Quercetum frainetto-cerris scardicum Krasniqui 1968, Quercetum frainetto-cerris macedonicum Oberdorfer 1948 em. Horvat 1959, Quercetum frainetto-cerris montenegrinum Blečić & Lakušić 1967, Sedo-Quercetum frainetto-cerris Jovanović (1979) 1985.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Moderately high, three-layered forests, sometimes with an upper and lower tree layer, with many thermophilous and some mesophilous species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus cerris, locally admixed Quercus frainetto, Quercus pubescens, Quercus virgiliana, Quercus petraea agg., Sorbus torminalis, Sorbus domestica, Fraxinus ornus, Acer campestre, Acer tataricum, Acer hyrcanum, Carpinus orientalis, Ulmus minor, Pyrus pyraster, Malus sylvestris, Carpinus betulus, Tilia tomentosa, Tilia platyphyllos
Shrub layer
Cornus mas, Crataegus monogyna, Ligustrum vulgare, Viburnum lantana, Rosa canina, Rosa gallica, Corylus avellana, Euonymus europaea, Juniperus oxycedrus
Lianas
Clematis vitalba, Tamus communis
Herb layer
Genista tinctoria, Genista tinctoria subsp. ovata, Genista carinalis, Crocus veluchensis, Crocus flavus, Physospermum cornubiense, Lathyrus niger, Lathyrus pannonicus subsp. collinus, Lathyrus laxiflorus, Lathyrus alpestris subsp. friedrichsthalii, Festuca heterophylla, Viola hirta, Helleborus odorus, Carex caryophyllea, Carex depauperata, Carex flacca subsp. serrulata, Carex pairae, Galium aristatum, Galium pseudoaristatum, Cruciata glabra, Potentilla micrantha, Silene coronaria, Silene viridiflora, Primula veris subsp. columnae, Colchicum bivonae, Doronicum orientale, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis polygama, Festuca valesiaca, Thymus kosteleckianus, Thymus praecox subsp. jankae, Stachys scardica, Stachys germanica, Trifolium pignantii, Trifolium medium subsp. balcanicum, Centaurea stenolepis, Sesleria latifolia, Scorzonera hispanica, Rubus canescens
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, Sorbus domestica; Genista tinctoria, Genista sylvestris subsp. dalmatica, Genista tinctoria subsp. ovata, Genista carinalis, Crocus veluchensis, Rubus canescens, Carex flacca subsp. serrulata, Lathyrus pannonicus subsp. collinus, Lathyrus alpestris subsp. friedrichsthalii, Scorzonera hispanica
Ecological variants
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Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
- Macedonian variant with Helleborus cyclophyllus, Lathyrus laxiflorus, Rubus canescens, Acer tataricum,- Adriatic variant with Paliurus spina-christi, Pyrus spinosa, Celtis australis, Genista sylvestris subsp. dalmatica.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
oak and beech forests (Quercetum frainetto moesiacum, Hypno cupressiformis-Quercetum frainetto, Syringo-Carpinetum orientalis, Quercetum cerris moesiacum, Quercetum pedunculiflorae moesiacum, Genisto-Quercetum roboris, Quercetum petraeae, Ostryo-Quercetum petraeae, Fagetum montanum).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous mixed oak forests (F20), oak-hornbeam forests (F66), species-poor beech- and mixed beech forests (F103), species-rich beech- and mixed beech forests (F122, F123, F124, F142, F143, F144, F150, F152, F153, F154, F155), Quercus polycarpa-mixed oak forests (G8, G9, G10), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G18, G21, G22), Balkan oak forests (G25, G26), downy oak-bitter oak forests (G31), downy oak forests (G53), Quercus trojana-oak forests (G63), mixed Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G57, G58), Balkan pine forests (K7), black pine forests (K15), forest steppes (L12), alluvial and lowland forests (U16, U17, U35).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pinus nigra and Robinia forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Chrysopogono-Danthonion Kojić 1959.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
plains and hilly country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland to submontane; 100-800 m
Geology (bedrock)
flysch; basalt, tuff; diabas; siliceous rock (Tertiary, Cretaceous, Jurassic, Permian, Precambrian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic brown soils and parabrown soils; (chromic luvisols; dystric, vertic cambisols; pellic vertisols)
soil texture
clayey, clayey-loamy
soil moisture, water balance
dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(V)a, VI2b, VI(VII), VI(X)
average annual temperature
9-11 °C
average annual precipitation
500-800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
18-21 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-2 to 0 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
warm, dry summers.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Usually strongly degraded, semi-natural stands are rare and greatly endangered.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
The few well preserved stands are extremely worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
Forest grazing, clearing, low forest management.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation and regeneration in selected strictly protected areas.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Yugoslavia (Serbia): Šumadija (Kragujevać).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Em 1968; Fukarek, Fabjanić & Janjić 1974; Jovanović 1980; Jovanović et al. 1982; Mišić et al. 1978; Rizovski 1974; Rizovski & Džekov 1990
Compiled by
N. Doniţă based on documents by M. Zupančič
