Title
East Moesin Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto) with Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Romania: only in the Donau-gorge from Bazias to Hinova (not on the map); Bulgaria: large-scaled in the pre-Balkanic plateau and hill country
area frequency
3 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Quercetum frainetto-cerris (Georgescu 1945) Rudski 1949 carpinetosum orientalis Jovanović 1955.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Moderately to low growing, usually light, three-layered forests with well developed shrub and herb layers featuring many thermophilous species and forest grasses.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, with different admixture of Quercus polycarpa, Quercus dalechampii, Quercus pubescens, Quercus virgiliana, Fraxinus ornus, Carpinus orientalis, Sorbus torminalis, Sorbus domestica, Acer campestre, Acer tataricum, Ulmus minor, Pyrus pyraster, Malus sylvestris, (Tilia tomentosa, Carpinus betulus)
Shrub layer
Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus pentagyna, Rosa canina, Rosa gallica, Prunus spinosa, Cornus mas, Cornus sanguinea, Ligustrum vulgare, Cotinus coggygria, Rhamnus cathartica, Paliurus spina-christi, Ruscus aculeatus
Herb layer
Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Helleborus odorus, Lathyrus niger, Lathyrus laxiflorus, Lathyrus venetus, Silene coronaria, Fragaria viridis, Potentilla micrantha, Melittis melissophyllum, Carex muricata, Piptatherum virescens, Myrrhoides nodosa, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Brachypodium pinnatum, Poa nemoralis, Stellaria holostea, Euphorbia amygdaloides
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
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Diagnostically important species
Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus; Helleborus odorus, Silene coronaria, Potentilla micrantha
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)
oak forests with Quercus pedunculiflora, Quercus dalechampii.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
oak-mixed hornbeam forests (F67, F68), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F123, F152), mixed Quercus polycarpa-oak forests (G10), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G21, G24), Balkan oak forests (G26), downy oak-bitter oak forests (G31), downy oak-bitter oak-grey oak forests (G34), hop-hornbeam-downy oak forests (G48), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G58), alluvial forests (U17, U18).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Degraded forests with Carpinus orientalis, Paliurus scrub, Robinia forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures with Chrysopogon gryllus, Bothriochloa ischaemum, Poa bulbosa.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly and mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 50-500 m
Geology (bedrock)
carbonate rocks, flysch, molasse (Cretaceous, Tertiary), bluff formation (Quaternary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus carbonate soils, grey and cinnamonic forest soils; (humus carbonate soils; chromic luvisols; chromic cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to periodically dry
soil reaction
moderately to weakly acidic
soil fertility
mesotrophic, meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2a
average annual temperature
11-12 °C
average annual precipitation
600-700 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 22-24 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January -2 to 0 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Moderately continental and continental-sub-Mediterranean transition climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Degraded over large areas, currently only scattered, small area and cleared forest stands that are greatly endangered.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
The whole formation is endangered.
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, forest grazing, excessive use for low forest management.
required measures for protection and restitution
Strict protection of the few remaining semi-natural forests; ecological restitution of degraded forest stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Bulgaria: Karakuz, Vorbov dol, Kirov dol, Kalfata.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bondev 1991; Boşcaiu 1971; Jakucs 1961; Roman 1971
Compiled by
N. Doniţă based on documents by I. Bondev
