Habitats with Large Bitter Cress (Cardamine amara L.) in the Spring Area of Nera River (Semenic Mountains, Romania)

The paper presents the spring habitats and their communities edified by the Large Bitter Cress (Cardamine amara L.) in the area of Nergăniţa, a headwater stream of the Nera River included in the “Nature Reserve Semenic Mountains and springs of Nera River”. The communities of Large Bitter Cress are situated in and on the springs and spring streamlets situated in the beech forest area, being well adapted to the special site conditions with low water temperatures, low light conditions and humus rich soils. The species composition of the Large Bitter Cress communities and their habitats are presented in strong relation with the habitat conditions and the interrelation with other communities. Finally, the conservation status of the streamlets habitats is analyzed in the context of their importance for the European Natura 2000 network.