Title
Black pine forests (Pinus nigra subsp. nigra) with Cotoneaster tomentosus, Laserpitium siler, partly with Sesleria tenuifolia, Helleborus niger in the east Alps and Illyria
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Austria: Carinthia, Lower Austria; Croatia; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Slovenia; Upper Italy: Kanal valley (not on the map); Yugoslavia: Montenegro (not on the map)
area frequency
7 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Orno-Ericion dolomiteicum Horvat 1959, Orneto-Pinetum nigrae Martin 1961 (Syn.: Pinetum austroalpinum Braun-Blanquet et al. 1939), Genisto januensis-Pinetum nigrae Tomažič 1940, Helleboro-Pinetum Horvat 1958, Polygalo-Pinetum illyricum Horvat 1956; spurs at the Lower Austrian eastern margin of the Alps Seslerio-Pinetum nigrae Wagner 1941, Euphorbio saxatilis-Pinetum nigrae Wendelberger 1962.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Open black pine forests with a sparse shrub layer and a usually more closed dwarf shrub and tuft-forming plant layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Pinus nigra, Sorbus aria, Pinus sylvestris, in the southern limestone Alps: Fraxinus ornus, Ostrya carpinifolia
Shrub layer
Amelanchier ovalis, Viburnum lantana, Juniperus communis, Berberis vulgaris, Cotoneaster tomentosus
Herb layer
Erica carnea, Sesleria albicans, Galium lucidum, Calamagrostis varia, Carex humilis, Buphthalmum salicifolium, Polygala chamaebuxus, Daphne blagayana (only Slovenia), Daphne cneorum, Chamaecytisus purpureus among others
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Pinus nigra subsp. nigra; Amelanchier ovalis, Cotoneaster tomentosus; Sesleria albicans, Laserpitium siler, Euphorbia triflora subsp. triflora, Daphne cneorum
Ecological variants
Optimal type in the Illyrian-Dinaric region to south Carinthia (Helleboro-Pinetum, Orneto-Pinetum), exclaves at the low-Austrian eastern margin Alps (denuded of Illyrian species): Euphorbio-Pinetum montane belt (360-700 m), Seslerio-Pinetum submontane-colline belt (260-500 m, without Erica); a gradual transition into the Erico-Pinetum (K1) towards the west in the limestone fore-Alps.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
See also 'Ecological variants'.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Helleboro-Fagetum, Carici albae-Fagetum.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous oak forests (F20), oak-hornbeam forests (F65), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F118, F133, F142, F143), sessile oak-bitter oak forests (G16), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Dry grassland.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
uplands, usually steep slopes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland to montane
Geology (bedrock)
dolomite, limestone (Cretaceous, Triassic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
shallow dolomite- and lime-soils (mull-like mor-humus carbonate soil); (stony rendzic, calcaric and lithic leptosols)
soil texture
sandy-loamy, stony
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry, dry
soil reaction
neutral, alkaline
soil fertility
oligotrophic, oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI3c, VI4, VI(X)3
average annual temperature
8-10 °C
average annual precipitation
650-1400 mm (in the south)
average temperature of the warmest month
17,5-20 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-5 to -0,5 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Mostly on sites exposed to the sun.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Usually preserved because of its poor exploitability, and it is an important element of the landscape.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
rich in rare species, absolutely worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
Quarrying, risk of erosion due to deforestation.
required measures for protection and restitution
Careful forestry (due to the risk of erosion!).
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
south-west Croatia: Obruč Mountains and Mala Kapela; Italy: Kanal valley, Fella valley; Austria: Schütt at the Dobratsch, Lower Loibl, Eisenkappel (primeval forest reserve), Öd, Mödlinger Klause, Merkenstein (primeval forest reserve).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Aichinger 1933; Frank 1991; Horvat 1956; Horvat 1958a; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974; Martin-Bosse 1967; Mayer 1974; Mayer 1984; Poldini 1967; Wagner 1941; Wendelberger 1962; Wendelberger 1963a; Wendelberger 1963b
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by H. Wagner, completed by K. Zukrigl, M. Zupančič, I. Trinajstić
