Title
North Adriatic-Illyrian mixed hop-hornbeam forests and scrub (Ostrya carpinifolia) with Fraxinus ornus, Amelanchier ovalis, Cotoneaster tomentosus, Erica carnea, partly with Quercus pubescens, Juglans regia, Tilia tomentosa, Genista radiata, Daphne cneorum
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
small-scaled in Slovenia; Croatia; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Yugoslavia (Montenegro)
area frequency
3 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Querco-Ostryetum carpinifoliae Horvat 1938, Erico-Ostryetum Horvat 1962, Cytisantho-Ostryetum M. Wraber 1961, Orno-Ostryetum Aichinger 1933.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Summer-green, heliophilous forests with a well developed shrub layer and a very species-rich herb layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus ornus, locally with Quercus pubescens, (Quercus petraea), Juglans regia, Tilia tomentosa
Shrub layer
Cornus mas, Amelanchier ovalis, Viburnum lantana, Cotoneaster tomentosus
Herb layer
Erica carnea, Genista radiata, Carex flacca, Carex humilis, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Buphthalmum salicifolium, Helleborus niger, Clematis recta, Campanula persicifolia
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus ornus; Amelanchier ovalis, Cotoneaster tomentosus; Genista radiata, Erica carnea, Helleborus niger, Buphthalmum salicifolium
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)
Mesophilous and thermophilous Fagus sylvatica forests.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
spruce forests (D38, D39), oak-hornbeam forests (F65), species-poor and species-rich beech- and mixed beech forests (F90, F121, F143, F144, F149).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pinus nigra forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Mountain meadows of the order Brometalia erecti.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Vineyards.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
mountainous country; steep sun-exposed slopes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline to montane; 200-800 m
Geology (bedrock)
dolomite (Upper Cretaceous)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus carbonate soils, brown soils; (rendzic leptosols; calcic and chromic cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry
soil reaction
neutral to alkaline
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
X
average annual temperature
9-10 °C
average annual precipitation
800-1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
23-25 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
1-2 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Dry-warm local climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Mainly thinned and shrub-rich low forest.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Very rich flora with many relict species.
causes of endangerment
Timber cutting, afforestation
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection of semi-natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Croatia: Samobor mountains, Dobra gorge in Gorski Kotar.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Aichinger 1933; Horvat 1938; Horvat 1962; Šugar 1978
Compiled by
I. Trinajstić
