Summary: Kroatian botanist Ivo Horvat was made the first systematic phytocoenological and syntaxonomic research of forest vegetation in Croatia was made by the botanist Ivo Horvat, who published the results of his research in what can be said today a classical work “Biljnosociološka istraživanja šuma u Hrvatskoj” (Horvat 1938). Horvat ecompassed all Croatian beech forests, phytocoenologycally by a unique association “Fagetum croaticum”, and that within this association he distinguished two main complexes – “Fagetum ‘silvaticae’ croaticum boreale” and “Fagetum ‘silvaticae’ croaticum australe”. In the first complex the same author distinguishes several subassociations “Fagetum croaticum subas. montanum – lathyretosum and corydaletosum”, and “Fagetum croaticum subas. abietetosum”. In the second complex, according to the orographic principle, he distinguishes the pure beech forests – “Fagetum croaticum (australe) montanum and subalpunum” and the mixed beech-fir forests – “Fagetum croaticum (australe) subas. abietetosum”. The mixed beech-fir forests thus happened to be within two complexes (partly “boreale”, partly “australe”). Horvat generally did not change this first concept of the Croatian beech forest phytocoenological division any more, he just completed it slightly (cf. I. Horvat 1950) by separating a special subassociation of “littoral beech forests” – “Fagetum croaticum seslerietosum”. Finally, it is to be noted that Horvat’s name for the beech forests “Fagetum sylvaticae croaticum” has been changed quite illegitimately into “Fagetum illyricum” (cf. Horvat et al. 1974).As in the course of time, namely in the first half and especially in the second half of the 20th century, a considerable attention was being paid to the phytocoenological research of pure beech forests and the mixed beech-fir forests, it was evident that the “classical” Horvat’s concept will not be able to survive.The biggest syntaxonomic changes happened to the pure beech forests designated by Horvat (1938) as “Fagetum croaticum boreale”. The first attempt of revision was made by Košir (1962, 1979, Borhidi 1963, 1965). Of several associations (“Querco-Fagetum, Hacquetio-Fagetum, ‘Ennaeaphyllo’-Fagetum, ‘Savensi’-Fagetum, Arunco-Fagetum), that at first were named only (cf. Košir 1962) and later analyzed syntaxonomically more in detail (Košir 1979), special attention has been attracted by the association Hacquetio-Fagetum, reported for Croatia under this name for the first time by Trinajstić (1995), and discussed more in detail recently by Vukelić & Baričević (2002). It was necessary to present the floristic composition of the ass. Hacquetio-Fagetum from Croatia in the form of an analytical table, too. Finally, it was also necessary in terms of the numenclature to make correction of the very name of the ass. Hacquetio-Fagetum in compliance with the valid nomenclatural codes (Barkman et al. 1986, Weber et al. 2002). The name of the said association should be corrected into Hacquetio-Fagetum Košir (1962) 1979.The ass. Hacquetio-Fagetum has been analyzed floristically on several sites in northwestern Croatia (Velika Kapela, Samoborsko gorje, Cesargradska gora, Brezovica, Ivanščica), in the very area where the highest concentration of relict, illyricoidal elements was recorded (cf. Trinajstić 1992, 1995). Its floristic composition is given in Table 1, made on the basis of 9 phytocoenological relevés.It was found out that the ass. Hacquetio-Fagetum comprises 146 species. The number of species by relevé is between 42 and 73 or 59,8 on the average. In all phytocoenological relevés 4 species have been registered, and in more than 50 % of relevés 37 species or 25,3 % of the total floristic composition were registered. In only one phytocenological relevé 53 species or 36,3 % of the total floristic composition were registered. The dominant and characteristic species of the association is Hacquetia epipactis, a relict and endemic illyricoidal species of the monotypical genus Hacquetia. The very habitat of the species H. epipactis is at the same time the range of the ass. Hacquetio-Fagetum. As regionally characteristic species of the association, it can be mentioned Ruscus hypoglossum and Ilex aquifolium. The species Epimedium alpinum is understood as a regionally differential species of the association.As characteristic species of the alliance Aremonio-Fagion, 22 species have been registered; as characteristic species of the order Fagetalia and the class Querco-Fagetea a total of 91 species have been registered, and as companions 21 species have been registered. At the same time, the reclassification of individual characteristic species of individual syntaxa, as well as of companion species was made.
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