Title
Thracian mixed Balkan oak-bitter oak–grey oak forests (Quercus pedunculiflora, Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto) with Carpinus orientalis, Physospermum cornubiense
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Bulgaria: Stara Zagora, Thracian plain, east Rhodope mountains
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Quercetum frainetto-cerris thracicum (= bulgaricum) Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974, Querceta frainetti Bondev 1991.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Moderately high, three-layered forests with well developed shrub and herb layers featuring some continental and many thermophilous species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus pedunculiflora, Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, Quercus virgiliana, Acer tataricum, Fraxinus ornus, Pyrus pyraster, Sorbus domestica
Shrub layer
Acer tataricum, Crataegus monogyna, Cornus mas, Euonymus europaea, Prunus spinosa, Ligustrum vulgare, Cotinus coggygria, Paliurus spina-christi
Lianas
Clematis vitalba, Tamus communis
Herb layer
Physospermum cornubiense, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Lathyrus niger, Viola alba, Asparagus officinalis, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Festuca pseudovina
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Hypnum cupressiforme
Diagnostically important species
Quercus pedunculiflora, Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, Acer tataricum, Physospermum cornubiense
Ecological variants
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Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
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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)
oak-hornbeam forests (F67), species-rich beech- and mixed beech forests (F154), Quercus polycarpa-oak forests (G9), Balkan oak forests (G28), mixed downy oak-bitter oak -grey oak forests (G35).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Degraded forest stands with Carpinus orientalis, Paliurus scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Dry grassland with Chrysopogon gryllus, Bothriochloa ischaemum.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline
Geology (bedrock)
Tertiary sediments
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
cinnamonic forest soils; (chromic luvisols; chromic cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic, eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)
average annual temperature
10-12 °C
average annual precipitation
500-650 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
20-22 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
0-1 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Locally climate with continental aspects (absolute minimum of temperature up to -25 °C, long dry seasons and droughts in summer).
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Only small, greatly degraded forests remain.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
whole unit endangered.
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, forest grazing, low forest management with excessive use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection and ecological restitution of the remaining forests.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Bulgaria: Stara Zagora.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974; Stefanov 1943; Valev 1955
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by I. Bondev
