Ficario-Ulmetum is a floodplain forest usually dominated by Fraxinus excelsior or Quercus robur, with frequent participation of Acer campestre, Ulmus laevis and U. minor in the subcanopy. The herb layer is characterized by a distinctive synusia of vernal geophytes, which is replaced by tall nutrient-demanding dicot herbs and grasses in late spring and summer. This association is typical of lowland river floodplains that used to be flooded for several days or weeks in March–April. These floods intensified after medieval deforestation of submontane–montane areas and supplied this habitat with nutrients and significantly increased its productivity. After the onset of regulated river flows floods became rare and their extent limited. For most of the year the water table is deeper than 1 m below ground.