Kalnik or Kalničko gorje is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in northwestern

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. Its highest peak is the eponymous Kalnik at .

Flora

A total of 14 invasive species have been catalogued on Kalnik: * ''

Acer negundo ''Acer negundo'', also known as the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America from Canada to Honduras. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, ash-like compound l ...

''. First noted on Kalnik at the end of the 20th century. Found at lower elevations on abandoned farmland, forest edges, clearings, and paths. * ''

Ailanthus altissima ''Ailanthus altissima'' ( ), commonly known as tree of heaven or ailanthus tree, is a deciduous tree in the quassia family. It is native to northeast and central China, and Taiwan. Unlike other members of the genus ''Ailanthus'', it is found ...

''. First noted on Kalnik in the 1980s. More frequent and more aggressive in the lowlands at the base of Kalnik. * ''

Ambrosia artemisiifolia ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'', with the common names common ragweed, annual ragweed, and low ragweed, is a species of the genus ''Ambrosia'' native to regions of the Americas. Taxonomy The species name, ''artemisiifolia'', is given because the lea ...

''. Noted at Pitomača in 1941, spreading to Kalnik possibly from there. Found at all elevations on abandoned farmland, forest edges, clearings, and paths. Conifer clearings form especially favorable conditions. * '' Amorpha fruticosa''. First noted on Kalnik in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Found at lower elevations, especially at stream edges, from which it gradually spreads into the forest margins. * ''

Asclepias syriaca ''Asclepias syriaca'', commonly called common milkweed, butterfly flower, silkweed, silky swallow-wort, and Virginia silkweed, is a species of flowering plant. It is native to southern Canada and much of the United States east of the Rocky Moun ...

''. First noted in the broader region in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Found at lower elevations in anthropogenic habitats. Conifer clearings form especially favorable conditions. * '' Echinocystis lobata''. First noted in NW Kalnik along streams, to which it had spread from the lowlands. * '' Erigeron annuus''. First noted in the broader region in 1857. Found mainly in anthropogenic habitats, on abandoned farmland, forest edges, clearings, and paths. Conifer clearings form especially favorable conditions. * '' Erigeron canadensis''. First noted in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

in 1847. Found throughout Kalnik, mainly in sunny habitats. * ''

Impatiens glandulifera ''Impatiens glandulifera'', Himalayan balsam, is a large annual plant native to the Himalayas. Via human introduction it is now present across much of the Northern Hemisphere and is considered an invasive species in many areas. Uprooting or cutt ...

''. First noted in

in the 1970s. Found in lowlands and along streams. Conifer clearings form especially favorable conditions. * '' Juncus tenuis''. First noted in Croatia in the mid-1960s. Found sporadically along and on paths, but also in the wetter parts of clearings, both anthropogenic and natural. * ''

Phytolacca americana ''Phytolacca americana'', also known as American pokeweed, pokeweed, poke sallet, pokeberry, dragonberries, pigeonberry weed, and inkberry, is a List of poisonous plants, poisonous, herbaceous perennial plant in the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae ...

''. First noted on Kalnik at the end of the 20th century in conifer clearings on the SW slopes. Conifer clearings form especially favorable conditions. * ''

Reynoutria japonica ''Reynoutria japonica'', synonyms ''Fallopia japonica'' and ''Polygonum cuspidatum'', is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Common names include Japanese knotweed and Asian knotweed. It is ...

''. First noted in Croatia in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Found sporadically along streams, roads, and forest margins. Several larger populations are found in NW Kalnik. * ''

Robinia pseudoacacia ''Robinia pseudoacacia'', commonly known as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to a few small areas of the United States, but it has been widely pl ...

''. First noted in Croata at the beginning of the 20th century. Found throughout Kalnik. As a pioneer species, it often forms monospecific stands. * '' Solidago gigantea''. First noted in Podravina in 1943. Found in sunny positions among younger vegetation. It does not tolerate shade, so stands die out with succession. Of these invasives, ''R. pseudoacacia'' creates the biggest problem, outcompeting other species during the renewal phase.

Mountain huts

In the 1935–1936 season, the

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located at high elevation, in mountainous terrain, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineering, mountaineers, climbing, climbers and Hiking, hikers. Mountain huts are us ...

on Kalnik, at in elevation, saw 722 visitors, including 6 Austrian, 4 Czechoslovak and 2 German citizens. In the 1936–1937 season, it saw 1291 visitors, including 6 Czechoslovak, 2 Austrian and 1 English citizens.

References

Bibliography

Alpinism

Botany

Geology

History

Meteorology

* *

External links

* http://www.tz.kalnik.hr/ {{croatia-geo-stub Mountains of Croatia Landforms of Koprivnica-Križevci County