Title
Pre-Carpathian-east Balkanic submontane sessile oak forests (Quercus polycarpa, Quercus dalechampii) with Helleborus odorus, Digitalis lanata, Digitalis grandiflora
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Romania: at the foot of the south Carpathians; Bulgaria: outliers of the Balkan-, Rila- and Pirin-mountains, of the Rhodope mountains
area frequency
32 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Aremonio-Quercetum petraeae Hoborka 1980, Querceta dalechampii Bondev 1991.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
High-growing (25-28 m), two- to three-layered oak mixed forests with thermophilous species in the herb layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus polycarpa, Quercus dalechampii, Sorbus torminalis, Acer campestre; in Bulgaria also Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto, Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus excelsior, Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus, Acer hyrcanum, Acer platanoides
Shrub layer
Crataegus monogyna, Cornus mas, Viburnum lantana, Ligustrum vulgare, Ruscus aculeatus; in Bulgaria also Syringa vulgaris, Sorbus aria
Herb layer
Helleborus odorus, Digitalis lanata, Digitalis grandiflora, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Silene coronaria, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, Sedum cepaea, Hieracium racemosum, Hieracium bauhinii, Melittis melissophyllum, Luzula luzuloides, Lathyrus niger, Festuca heterophylla, Poa nemoralis
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
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Diagnostically important species
Quercus polycarpa, Quercus dalechampii; Helleborus odorus, Digitalis lanata, Digitalis grandiflora, Stellaria holostea, Lathyrus vernus
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
northern (Rumania) variant without Ostrya carpinifolia, Carpinus orientalis, Acer hyrcanum, Syringa vulgaris; southern variant with these species (Ostrya carpinifolia in the Rhodope mountains).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Quercetum cerris Georgescu 1941, Quercetum frainetto-cerris (Georgescu 1945) Rudski 1949, Orno-Quercetum praemoesicum Roman 1974, Festuco drymeiae-Fagetum Morariu et al. 1968.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
spruce forests (D37, D41), pine forests (D63), acidophilous oak forests (F22), sessile oak-hornbeam forests (F64, F67), species-poor beech forests (F102), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F123, F124, F125, F126, F143, F151, F152, F153, F154, F164), mixed pedunculate oak forests (G4), mixed Quercus polycarpa-oak forests (G10), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19, G20, G22, G23, G24), Balkan oak forests (G28), downy oak-bitter oak forests (G31), mixed downy oak-bitter oak-grey oak forests (G35, G36), mixed hop-hornbeam forests (G56), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G57, G58, G59), black pine forests (K16), forest steppes (L12), alluvial forests (U16, U18).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Strongly degraded low forest with Carpinus orientalis and shrubs, Pinus and Robinia forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Agrostio-Festucetum valesiacae Ardelean 1983, Pteridium aquilinum communities.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Fruit cultivation amongst other uses.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
foothills, hilly country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 200-700 m (up to 1000 m in the south)
Geology (bedrock)
molasse, chalky clay, sandstone (Tertiary, Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic, partly weakly podzolised brown soils and parabrown soils; (humic and dystric cambisols; chromic luvisols)
soil texture
loamy, sandy-loamy
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
moderately to weakly acidic
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)
average annual temperature
8-13 °C
average annual precipitation
600-900 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 21-23 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January 0-3 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
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Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Preserved comparatively well; some forests degraded by low forest management.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
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causes of endangerment
Forest grazing, clearing, low forest management, oak decline.
required measures for protection and restitution
Well preserved, semi-natural forests should be placed under protection.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Romania: Pesteana (Gorj district).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bondev 1991; Csűrős, Pop, Hodişan & Csűrős-Kaptalan 1968; Hoborka 1980; Roman 1974; Sanda & Popescu 1981
Compiled by
N. Doniţă based on documents by I. Bondev and N. Doniţă
