Title
Pre-Carpathian mixed Oriental hornbeam-sessile oak forests (Quercus polycarpa, Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus) with Mercurialis ovata, Piptatherum virescens
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Romania, Bulgaria: Donau-gorge and Oravitza hill country
area frequency
2 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Orno-Quercetum praemoesicum Roman 1974, Oryzopsi holciformis-Carpinetum orientalis Jakucs & Zólyomi 1960.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Low growing, open, three-layered oak mixed forests with rich shrub and herb layers consisting of south-European thermophilous species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus polycarpa, Quercus dalechampii, (Quercus petraea), Quercus pubescens, Quercus virgiliana, Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, Corylus colurna, Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus, Sorbus torminalis, Sorbus domestica, Tilia tomentosa, Pyrus pyraster
Shrub layer
Cornus mas, Crataegus monogyna, Laburnum alpinum, Ligustrum vulgare, Cotinus coggygria
Herb layer
Lathyrus niger, Myrrhoides nodosa, Asparagus tenuifolius, Potentilla micrantha, Silene coronaria, Sedum maximum, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Mercurialis ovata, Piptatherum virescens
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
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Diagnostically important species
Quercus polycarpa, Carpinus orientalis, Tilia tomentosa; Cotinus coggygria; Mercurialis ovata, Piptatherum virescens
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
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Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Echinopo banatici-Quercetum pubescentis Boşcaiu et al. 1971, Syringo-Carpinetum orientalis Jakucs 1959, Celto-Juglandetum Jakucs 1957 em. Roman 1974.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
oak-hornbeam forests (F66) species-rich beech forests (F123, F124), Quercus polycarpa-oak forests (G9, G10), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19, G20), salt vegetation (P32), alluvial forests (U16, U17).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Robinia and Pinus forestry; degraded low forests with Fraxinus ornus, Carpinus orientalis.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Chysopogonetum grylli praemoesicum Roman 1974.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Crop fields with Aperion spica-venti, Tribulo-Eragrostion.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Ruderal and wall vegetation as well as vegetation of trampled ground: Sysimbrion, Onopordion, Alysso-Sedion, Thero-Airion, Polygonion avicularis, Arction lappae.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
low foothills, steep, sunny and shallow-soiled slopes facing the Danube
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 150-300 m
Geology (bedrock)
limestone (Cretaceous, Jurassic), slate (Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus carbonate soil, brown humus carbonate soil; (humus carbonate soils; eutric cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)
average annual temperature
11-12 °C
average annual precipitation
650-750 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 22-23 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January -2 to -1 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
warm and dry microclimate on sunexposed slopes in the south
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Strongly degraded and cleared forests that are very much endangered.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All plant communities are at risk; endangered species: Tulipa hungarica, Stipa danubialis, Paeonia daurica, Cephalaria uralensis.
causes of endangerment
Excessive use for low forest management, forest grazing, clearing.
required measures for protection and restitution
Strict and absolute protection of the still remaining forest stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Romania: Valea Mare (district Caraş-Severin), Gura Vaii (district Mehedinti).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Boşcaiu 1971; Jakucs 1961; Roman 1974
Compiled by
N. Doniţă based on documents by N. Roman
