Title
East Adriatic montane hop-hornbeam-downy oak forests (Quercus virgiliana, Ostrya carpinifolia) with Quercus cerris, Acer hyrcanum subsp. intermedium, Spiraea decumbens, Pulmonaria visianii
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
South Croatia: Dalmatia (Biokovo); Bosnia-Herzegovina: Dinaric mountains; Yugoslavia: Montenegro; Albania; Macedonia
area frequency
23 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Ostryo-Quercetum virgilianae Trinajstić 1987.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Summer-green, thermophilous oak mixed forests with dominant Quercus virgiliana and varyingly developed shrub and herb layers.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus virgiliana, admixed Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus ornus, Acer monspessulanum, Acer hyrcanum subsp. intermedium, Quercus cerris
Shrub layer
Sorbus aria, Euonymus verrucosa, Spiraea decumbens, Cornus mas
Lianas
Clematis flammula, Lonicera caprifolium
Herb layer
Brachypodium sylvaticum, Pulmonaria visianii, Sesleria autumnalis, Viola alba subsp. dehnhardtii
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
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Diagnostically important species
Quercus virgiliana, Ostrya carpinifolia, Acer hyrcanum subsp. intermedium; Spiraea decumbens; Pulmonaria visianii
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)
No details
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine grassland (B55), oak-hornbeam forests (F65), species-rich beech- and mixed beech forests (F119, F142, F143, F150, F154), bitter oak forests (G18), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19), hop-hornbeam-downy oak forests (G48, G53), mixed Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G57), Quercus trojana-oak forests (G63), holm oak forests (J19), pine forests (K6).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Low forest.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures, currently abandoned.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
montane; 600-800 m
Geology (bedrock)
limestone (Jurassic, Upper Cretaceous)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus carbonate soils and brown soils above limestone; (rendzic leptosols; chromic cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(V)a, VI(X)
average annual temperature
11-13 °C
average annual precipitation
900-1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
24-26 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
1-2 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
more cool Mediterranean climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Low forest to a great extent.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Timber use, grazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Croatia: Biokovo mountains; Montenegro: Rumija mountains above Bar.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Trinajstić 1987b
Compiled by
I. Trinajstić
