Title
North Adriatic-Istrian downy oak forests (Quercus pubescens, Ostrya carpinifolia) with Molinia arundinacea, Serratula tinctoria, partly Potentilla alba, Pulmonaria angustifolia
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
small-scaled in Croatia: Istria; Slovenia
area frequency
3 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Molinio-Quercetum pubescentis Šugar 1981, Potentillo albae-Quercetum pubescentis A.O. Horvat subass. ostryetosum Trinajstić 1982 (syn.: Seslerio-Ostryetum auct. istr. p.p. non Horvat & Horvatić 1950).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered, low-growing forest stands with well developed shrub and herb layers.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus pubescens, Ostrya carpinifolia, Acer obtusatum
Shrub layer
Juniperus communis
Lianas
Clematis vitalba, Hedera helix, Lonicera etrusca, Tamus communis
Herb layer
Molinia arundinacea, Calluna vulgaris, Serratula tinctoria, locally Potentilla alba, Pulmonaria angustifolia
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus pubescens, Ostrya carpinifolia; Molinia arundinacea, Potentilla alba, Pulmonaria angustifolia, Serratula tinctoria
Ecological variants
Not known
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Not known
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)
sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F65), species-rich beech forests (F150), hop-hornbeam-downy oak forests (G48, G51).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Low forest.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Chrysopogoni-Euphorbietum nicaeensis.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
---
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
submontane
Geology (bedrock)
flysch (Tertiary), bluff formation (Pleistocene)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
pseudogley; (gleyic luvisols)
soil moisture, water balance
periodically dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
V
average annual temperature
14-15 °C
average annual precipitation
1000-1300 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
21-23 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
2-4 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
---
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Greatly endangered; all semi-natural stands worthy of protection.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Presence oF rare species in the south: Molinia arundinacea, Potentilla alba, Calluna vulgaris.
causes of endangerment
Stand transformation, degradation by low forest management.
required measures for protection and restitution
All semi-natural remnants must be placed under protection.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Croatia: central Istria (near Bregi).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Šugar, Zupančič, Trinajstić & Puncer 1995; Trinajstić 1982b
Compiled by
I. Trinajstić
