Title
Apulian-southeast Adriatic meso-supra Mediterranean Quercus trojana-forests with Pistacia-species
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
South Italy: Apulia (between Bari and Tarant); Croatia: border to Bosnia-Herzegovina; Bosnia-Herzegovina: in the outermost south of the country; Yugoslavia: Montenegro (surroundings of lake Skutari); Albania: lake Skutari, Drin valley; Macedonia and Bulgaria (not on the map)
area frequency
7 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Quercetum trojanae montenegrinum Blečić & Lakušić 1966, Quercetum trojanae macedonicum Em 1958 em. Horvat 1959, Euphorbio apii-Quercetum trojanae Bianco et al. 1998 (Quercion ilicis).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Light, three-layered forests with thermophilous, sometimes half evergreen oaks, a well developed shrub layer with evergreen Mediterranean species and a varyingly developed herb layer with thermophilous and xerophytic species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus trojana dominated, partly admixture of Quercus pubescens, Quercus virgiliana, Quercus ilex, Quercus cerris, Acer campestre, Fraxinus ornus
Shrub layer
Quercus-species, Pistacia lentiscus, Pistacia terebinthus, Phillyrea latifolia, Pyrus spinosa, Viburnum tinus, Ruscus aculeatus, Calicotome infesta, Cistus monspeliensis, Crataegus monogyna, Rubus ulmifolius, Rosa gallica, Hippocrepis emerus subsp. emeroides, Paliurus spina-christi, Punica granatum, Petteria ramentacea, Rhamnus orbiculata, Rhamnus intermedia
Lianas
Hedera helix, Clematis flammula, Clematis viticella, Lonicera caprifolium, Lonicera estrusca, Lonicera implexa, Asparagus acutifolius, Smilax aspera, Tamus communis, Rosa sempervirens, Rubia peregrina subsp. longifolia
Herb layer
Paeonia mascula, Cyclamen repandum, Cyclamen hederifolium, Viola alba subsp. dehnhardtii, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Euphorbia apios, Potentilla detommasii, Carex distachya, Ranunculus neapolitanus, Geranium sanguineum, Silene italica, Anemone apennina, Allium subhirsutum, Crocus dalmaticus, Romulea linaresii, Romulea bulbocodium, Fritillaria gracilis, Selaginella denticulata among others
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Tortella tortuosa
Diagnostically important species
Quercus trojana; Pyrus spinosa, Pistacia lentiscus, Pistacia terebinthus, Petteria ramentacea, Rhamnus orbiculata; Euphorbia apios, Potentilla detommasii, Paeonia mascula, Anemone apennina, Fritillaria gracilis, Romulea linaresii
Ecological variants
Mesophilous types with Euonymus europaea, Prunus spinosa, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Poa trivialis subsp. silvicola, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Crepis vesicaria, Arato hirsuta, Asphodelus ramosus, Silene vulgaris, Anemone hortensis, Geum urbanum, Galium odoratum.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
South Italian form with an evergreen shrub layer and many Mediterranean species as well as with Euphorbia apios, Potentilla detommasii; a south-west Balkan type with Petteria ramentacea, Fritillaria gracilis, Crocus dalmaticus.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
For southern Italy: Meo-Quercetum virgilianae Brullo 1984, Pistacio-Quercetum ilicis Brullo & Marcenò 1985; for the south-west Balkan form: Orno-Quercetum ilicis, Orno-Quercetum cocciferae, Rusco-Carpinetum orientalis, Quercetum cerris.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
Bitter oak forests (G18), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19), hop-hornbeam-downy oak forests (G48, G52, G53, G54), holm oak forests (J19), hardwood alluvial forests (U17, U18).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Quercus trojana-low forests; macchia with Cistus salviifolius, Cistus creticus, Cistus monspeliensis, Euphorbia spinosa, Teucrium capitatum; Juniperus oxycedrus, Prunus spinosa, Rubus ulmifolius scrub; Pinus halepensis, Pinus nigra subsp. dalmatica forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Thero-Brachypodietea communities, Trifolio-Hordeetalia, Scorzonero-Chrysopogonetalia, Stipo-Salvietum officinalis.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Enclosures with limestone dry stone walls: wheat, wine grape, fruit, vegetable, almond, fig, olive and citrus fruit cultivation: Centauretalia cyani, Secalinetalia, Chenopodietalia.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Apulia: trullo constructions; Chenopodietalia, Onopordetalia, Artemisietalia, Plantaginetalia majoris.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly country, lower mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
meso-Mediterranean; colline-submontane; 100-500 (east of the Adria to 800) m
Geology (bedrock)
limestone (Upper Cretaceous, Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
limestone red earth (terra rossa), calcomelanosol; (leptosols; chromic luvisols; chromic cambisols)
soil texture
clayey loam, stone-rich, shallow
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to alkaline
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic, eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV3c
average annual temperature
14-16 °C (Italy); 12-16 °C (south-west Balkan)
average annual precipitation
550-700 mm (south Italy); 1000-2000 mm (south-west Balkan)
average temperature of the warmest month
July 24-26 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January 7-9 °C (south Italy); 4-6 °C (south-west Balkan)
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)
Forests only very small in size and preserved as low forest.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All forest remnants are worthy of protection; species especially worthy of protection: Quercus trojana, Paeonia mascula, Arum apulum (Apulian endemic).
causes of endangerment
Grazing, fire, agriculture, timber use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Strict protective measures are required to allow the preservation and regeneration of the last forest remnants.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Italy: Murge Orientali nature reserve; Albania: Lezhë (Mali Rreneit), Kashnjet, Librazhd (Rrapun); Yugoslavia (Montenegro): Podgorica; Macedonia: surroundings of lake Ohrid.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
Italy: Murge Orientali nature reserve.
Most important references (author, year)
Bianco, Brullo, Minissale, Signorello & Spampinato 1998; Blečić & Lakušić 1966; Francini Corti 1966; Lakušić, Muratspahić & Redžić 1982; Vangjeli 1993
Compiled by
N. Doniţă and U. Bohn based on documents by F. Pedrotti, R. Lakušić, J. Vangjeli, S. Brullo (publication Bianco et al. 1998)
