Title
Moesian Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (Quercus pubescens, Carpinus orientalis) with Fraxinus ornus, Cotinus coggygria, Sesleria rigida, Achillea clypeolata, partly with Ramonda serbica
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
foreland of the Balkan mountains. insular in Yugoslavia: Eastern Serbia; west Bulgaria; south-west Romania (small-scaled and not on the map)
area frequency
19 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Genisto lydiae-Quercetum pubescentis Jakucs & Zólyomi 1960, Oryzopsi holciformi-Carpinetum orientalis Jakucs & Zólyomi 1960, Quercetum pubescentis Bondev 1991.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Low-growing, three-layered oak mixed forests with a heavily developed shrub layer and a varyingly developed herb layer with many thermophilous species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus pubescens, Quercus virgiliana, Quercus dalechampii, Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus, Acer monspessulanum, Acer campestre, Acer hyrcanum, Acer tataricum, Pyrus pyraster, Prunus mahaleb, Ulmus minor
Shrub layer
Cornus mas, Cotinus coggygria, Hippocrepis emerus, Colutea arborescens, Syringa vulgaris, Viburnum lantana, Crataegus monogyna, Euonymus verrucosa, Euonymus europaea, Rosa canina, Paliurus spina-christi, Juniperus oxycedrus
Lianas
Hedera helix, Clematis vitalba
Herb layer
Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Helleborus odorus, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Helianthemum nummularium, Cleistogenes serotina, Sesleria rigida, Achillea clypeolata, Physospermum cornubiense, Melica transsilvanica, Teucrium chamaedrys, Geum urbanum, Glechoma hirsuta, Dactylis glomerata, Veronica chamaedrys, Ramonda serbica, Carex brevicollis
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus pubescens, Carpinus orientalis, Acer monspessulanum; Cotinus coggygria, Syringa vulgaris; Achillea clypeolata, Sesleria rigida, Ramonda serbica
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
In northern Bulgaria with Carex brevicollis, Ramonda serbica.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca forests, dry grasslands, Genista lydia scrub.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
krummholz scrubs (C39), oak-hornbeam forests (F67, F68), species-rich beech forests (F124, F152), mixed Quercus polycarpa-oak forests (G9, G10), sessile oak-bitter oak forests (G18), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19, G21, G22).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Degraded low forest with Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus, Acer monspessulanum; Paliurus and Syringa scrub; Pinus forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Secondary pastures with Bothriochloa ischaemum, Chrysopogon gryllus, Poa bulbosa.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
---
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
---
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly country, foothills
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline, submontane; 100-600 m
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
((stony) eutric cambisols; orthic stony luvisols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry-dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic, neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)
average annual temperature
11-12 °C
average annual precipitation
600-800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 21-23 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January -1 to 0 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Distinct droughts in summer.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Few, usually heavily degraded forest stands, mainly transformed into pastures or other cultivated areas.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All still nearly-natural stands are highly worthy of protection, because they are rich in relicts and endemic species
causes of endangerment
Low forest management, forest grazing, forest fires, clearing.
required measures for protection and restitution
Cessation of forest grazing and low forest management, protection from fires.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
No details
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Bondev 1991; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974; Velčev, Jordanov & Gančev 1965
Compiled by
N. Doniţă based on documents by I. Bondev and Z. Neuhäuslová
