Title
Hop-hornbeam-downy oak forests (Quercus pubescens, Ostrya carpinifolia) with Aristolochia lutea, Sesleria autumnalis, Dianthus monspessulanus, partly Spiraea chamaedryfolia in the south Alps and Illyria
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Switzerland: Tessin; northern Italy: southern edge of the Alps (lake Comer, Adda valley, lake Garda, Etsch valley, Friaul); south-western Slovenia; west Croatia; Bosnia-Herzegovina
area frequency
28 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Fraxino orni-Ostryetum Braun-Blanquet 1961, Orno-Quercetum pubescentis Oberdorfer & Hofmann 1967, Buglossoido-Ostryetum Gerdol, Lausi, Piccoli & Poldini 1982, Amelanchiero ovalis-Ostryetum Poldini 1982, Seslerio albicantis-Ostryetum carpinifoliae Poldini 1982, Ostryo-Quercetum pubescentis Trinajstić 1974.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Low to moderately high (10-18 m), three-layered summer-green deciduous mixed forests sometimes with a thinned tree layer; well developed shrub and herb layers with numerous Quercetalia pubescenti-petraeae and Querco-Fagetea species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus pubescens, (Quercus petraea), Ostrya carpinifolia, admixed Fraxinus ornus, Celtis australis, Pyrus pyraster, Acer opalus, Acer campestre, Sorbus torminalis
Shrub layer
Cornus mas, Hippocrepis emerus, Colutea arborescens, Prunus mahaleb, Cotinus coggygria, Viburnum lantana, Ligustrum vulgare, Crataegus monogyna, Cornus sanguinea, Corylus avellana, Spiraea chamaedryfolia, Sorbus aria, Amelanchier ovalis, Laburnum anagyroides, Ruscus aculeatus
Lianas
Hedera helix, Tamus communis, Clematis vitalba
Herb layer
Aristolochia lutea, Sesleria autumnalis, Sesleria albicans, Dianthus monspessulanus, Melittis melissophyllum, Carex humilis, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Asparagus tenuifolius, Lathyrus venetus, Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus, Hepatica nobilis, Viola mirabilis, Melica uniflora, Hieracium murorum, Helleborus niger, Campanula bononiensis, Paeonia officinalis, Cyclamen purpurascens, Brachypodium pinnatum, Arato turrita, Clematis recta, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, Polygonatum odoratum, Cruciata glabra, Tanacetum corymbosum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus pubescens, Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus ornus; Aristolochia lutea, Sesleria autumnalis, Dianthus monspessulanus, Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus, Campanula bononiensis, Paeonia officinalis, Asparagus tenuifolius
Ecological variants
see under 'Scientific names': Switzerland: on fresh sites with Carpinus betulus, Fraxinus excelsior, Lamium galeobdolon, Dryopteris filix-mas.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Former Yugoslavia: with Sesleria autumnalis, Asparagus tenuifolius, Aristolochia lutea.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
In Switzerland: rock and rubble vegetation, dry grasslands, Berberidion communities, downy oak scrub (Dictamno-Sorbetum, Cotino-Quercetum); in Italy: Cotino-Amelanchieretum ovalis, Prunetum mahaleb, Frangulo rupestris-Prunetum mahaleb, Salvio glutinosae-Fraxinetum; in former Yugoslavia: Quercus pubescens-Carpinus orientalis forests, Fagus sylvatica forests with Sesleria autumnalis.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
fir forests (D29), spruce forests (D35, D38), acidophilous oak forests (F17), oak-hornbeam forests (F45, F65), species-poor beech forests (F87, F102), species-rich beech forests (F129, F142, F143, F150), hop-hornbeam-downy oak forests (G50, G51, G54), holm oak forests (J19, J20), pine forests (K3), black pine forests (K9), alluvial forests (U15, U17).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Ostrya-Fraxinus ornus low forest, Berberidion communities, Pinus nigra forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
In Italy, Croatia: grazed dry grasslands: Fumano-Anthropogonetum contorti, Tunico-Koelerietum gracilis, Danthonio-Scorzoneretum villosae, Chrysopogono-Centaureetum cristatae, Diplachnion communities.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Vineyards, orchards.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Artemisio-Agropyretum, Eleusinetum indicae, Onopordion communities.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
steep mountain slopes of the southern marginal Alps and foothills, hilly country, karst plateau landscape
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline to submontane (montane); 100-500 (900) m
Geology (bedrock)
carbonate rocks, base-rich siliceous rocks, chalky clay; (Jurassic); flysch (Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus carbonate soils, chalk-brown soils, mostly shallow and stone-rich; (eutric and chromic cambisols; calcaric regosols; rendzic leptosols)
soil texture
loamy, often stone-rich, stony
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to alkaline
soil fertility
mesotrophic to meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
V
average annual temperature
12-14 °C
average annual precipitation
700-1200 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 21-23 °C (Croatia: 26 °C)
average temperature of the coldest month
January 1-2 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Dry-warm locations on (steep) southern slopes.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Primarily low forest, sometimes strongly degraded, today often in a stage of natural succession.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All well preserved stands are worthy of protection. Switzerland: rich of sub-Mediterranean and sub-continental xerothermous relicts; Italy: Fritillaria montana.
causes of endangerment
Low forest use, clearing, pesticide use on neighbouring cultivated land (viniculture), transformation into Pinus plantations (Pinus nigra), construction, settlements.
required measures for protection and restitution
Strict protection and regeneration of semi-natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Switzerland: Mte. Switzerland: Salvatore, Caslano, Salvatore, Giorgio, Salvatore, Generoso; Italy: Doss Trento (Trentino), Carso Triestino, Bozen; Croatia: Cićarija, Učka-Mountains above Rijeka.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
semi-dry grasslands, thermophilous fringes and scrubs: surroundings of Bozen, Eisach valley.
Most important references (author, year)
Braun-Blanquet 1961; Credaro & Pirola 1975; Ellenberg & Klötzli 1972; Hegg, Beguin & Zoller 1993; Horvat 1938; Horvat 1950b; Horvat 1962; Mayer 1974; Pedrotti 1981; Pedrotti et al. 1994; Poldini 1982; Poldini 1989; Poldini & Vidali 1995; Šugar 1978; Trinajstić 1974b; Trinajstić 1982a
Compiled by
N. Doniţă, U. Bohn based on documents by O. Hegg, F. Klötzli (Switzerland), F. Pedrotti, Z. Neuhäuslová (Italy) and I. Trinajstić (Croatia)
