Title
West Pontic Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (Quercus pubescens, Carpinus orientalis) with Paeonia peregrina, Asparagus verticillatus
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Republic of Moldavia: in the south; Romania: Moldavia, Dobrudscha; Ukraine: region of Odessa (not shown on the map); Bulgaria: coast of the Black Sea, Strandña mountains
area frequency
18 polygon.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Paeonio-Carpinetum orientalis DoniÛ| 1970 (main unit on plateaus and slopes), Violo suavis-Quercetum pedunculiflorae DoniÛ| 1970 (in broad valleys), Quercetum pubescenstis Bondev 1991, Quercetum pedunculiflorae Bondev 1991.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Low growing (up to 15 m) three layered forests with a well developed shrub layer and a more or less well developed herb layer with many thermophilous and xerophytic species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
predominately Quercus pubescens, (Quercus virgiliana, Quercus polycarpa, Quercus dalechampii, Quercus pedunculiflora), in the understorey Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus, Acer campestre, Pyrus pyraster, Pyrus elaeagrifolia subsp. bulgarica, Ulmus minor, Sorbus torminalis, Sorbus domestica, Tilia tomentosa, e. g. Acer tataricum, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur
Shrub layer
Cornus mas, Ligustrum vulgare, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus pentagyna, Viburnum lantana, Cotinus coggygria, Euonymus verrucosa, Prunus spinosa, Spiraea crenata, in the south also Phillyrea latifolia, Jasminum fruticans, in the north-east Caragana frutex, Prunus fruticosa
Lianas
Clematis vitalba, Tamus communis, Asparagus verticillatus, Asparagus acutifolius
Herb layer
Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Piptatherum virescens, Mercurialis ovata, Geum urbanum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Brachypodium pinnatum, Dactylis polygama, Potentilla micrantha, Paeonia peregrina, Asparagus tenuifolius, Nectaroscordum siculum subsp. bulgaricum, Scutellaria altissima, Polygonatum hirtum, Carex halleriana, Carex michelii, Teucrium chamaedrys, Doronicum hungaricum, Cyclamen coum, Nigella elata, Nigella damascena, Myrrhoides nodosa
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Hypnum cupressiforme
Diagnostically important species
Quercus pubescens, Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus, Acer tataricum, Pyrus elaeagrifolia subsp. bulgarica; Cotinus coggygria; Paeonia peregrina, Asparagus verticillatus, Asparagus acutifolius, Nigella elata, Nectaroscordum siculum subsp. bulgaricum
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
northern form with steppe elements and fewer submediterranean species; central form (Dobrudscha) with a high proportion of submediterranean species; southern form (Bulgaria) with evergreen species in the shrub layer.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
in valleys Quercus pedunculiflora forests with Tilia tomentosa and Fraxinus excelsior, in the north on moister habitats forests with Quercus petraea, Quercus robur; on drier south-facing slopes steppe communities (Stipa tirsa, Stipa capillata, Stipa pulcherrima), in Bulgaria Quercus frainetto-cerris forests.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
oak-hornbeam forests (F63, F64, F69), species-rich beech forests (F125, F126), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G24), Balkan oak forests (G30), forest steppes (L13), steppes (M5, M16), dune vegetation (P14), freshwater-tall reed swamps (R1), alluvial forests (U14).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Carpinion orientalis-low forest without Quercus species, Cornus mas, Prunus spinosa, Caragana frutex, Cotinus coggygria, Prunus fruticosa, Paliurus spina-christi, Phillyrea latifolia scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures and meadow steppes with Chrysopogon gryllus, Bothriochloa ischaemum, Poa bulbosa, Poa angustifolia, Festuca valesiaca.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Orchards and vineyards, cereals (wheat, maize), sunflowers, sugar beets.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly country, plateaus, weakly inclined slopes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
collin-submontane; 10-500 m
Geology (bedrock)
lime-sandstone (Tertiary, Cretaceous), bluff formation
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
cinnamonic forest soils; shallow to intermittent humus carbonate soils on lime-sandstone; deep, browned chernozems on bluff formations; (calcic and haplic chernozems; chromic luvisols; chromic cambisols; rendzic leptosols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry, dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic, neutral
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)
average annual temperature
9-13 EC, Moldavia/Ukraine: 8-9 EC
average annual precipitation
380-600 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 21-24 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -4 to 2 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
warm, summer-dry climate, in the north on south-exposed slopes.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Strongly degraded low forests, only preserved as small patches, often replaced by scrub.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All nearly-natural forests are worthy of protection; many southern species are worthy of protection, e. g. Paeonia peregrina, Pyrus elaeagrifolia, Centaurea angelescui, Centaurea thirkei, Campanula macrostachya, Gymnospermium odessanum, Pulsatilla vulgaris subsp. grandis, Doronium hungaricum.
causes of endangerment
Clearing, forest crazing, low forest management.
required measures for protection and restitution
Cessation of low forest management and forest grazing. (the forests have an important soil and climate protecting function).
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Republic of Moldavia, Ukraine: Selischte-Leu and Tigetschskie Kodry; Romania: Slava Rus|, Baspunar, Babadag; Bulgaria: at the foot of the Strandña mountains.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bilyk & Tkačenko 1978; Dihoru & Doniţă 1970; Jakucs, Fekete & Gergely 1959; Nikolaeva 1963; Šeljag-Sosonko 1975
Compiled by
N. DoniÛ| referring to details by N. DoniÛ|, Ja.P. Diduch, I. Bondev and Z.Neuhäuslová
