Index: jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/query/PathQueryNodeTest.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/query/PathQueryNodeTest.java	(revision 563919)
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/query/PathQueryNodeTest.java	(working copy)
@@ -26,21 +26,23 @@
 
     private static final NamespaceResolver JCR_RESOLVER = new NamespaceResolver() {
         public String getJCRName(QName qName) {
-            return this.getPrefix(qName.getNamespaceURI()) + ":"
-                    + qName.getLocalName();
+            throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
         }
 
         public String getPrefix(String uri) {
-            return QName.NS_JCR_PREFIX;
+            throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
         }
 
         public QName getQName(String jcrName) {
-            return new QName(QName.NS_JCR_URI,
-                    jcrName.substring(jcrName.indexOf(':')));
+            throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
         }
 
         public String getURI(String prefix) {
-            return QName.NS_JCR_URI;
+            if (QName.NS_JCR_PREFIX.equals(prefix))
+                return QName.NS_JCR_URI;
+            if (QName.NS_NT_PREFIX.equals(prefix))
+                return QName.NS_NT_URI;
+            return "";
         }
     };    
     
@@ -64,4 +66,15 @@
         assertTrue(queryRootNode.needsSystemTree());         
     }
     
+    public void testNeedsSystemTreeForAllNodesByNodeType() throws Exception {
+        QueryRootNode queryRootNode = XPathQueryBuilder.createQuery("//element(*, nt:resource)", JCR_RESOLVER);
+        assertFalse(queryRootNode.needsSystemTree());
+
+        queryRootNode = XPathQueryBuilder.createQuery("//element(*, nt:resource)[@jcr:test = 'foo']", JCR_RESOLVER);
+        assertFalse(queryRootNode.needsSystemTree());
+
+        queryRootNode = XPathQueryBuilder.createQuery("//element(*, nt:nodeType)", JCR_RESOLVER);
+        assertTrue(queryRootNode.needsSystemTree());
+    }
+
 }
Index: jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/query/PathQueryNode.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/query/PathQueryNode.java	(revision 563919)
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/query/PathQueryNode.java	(working copy)
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@
  */
 package org.apache.jackrabbit.core.query;
 
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.List;
+
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.name.QName;
 
 /**
@@ -23,6 +26,23 @@
  */
 public class PathQueryNode extends NAryQueryNode {
 
+    private static final List VALID_SYSTEM_INDEX_NODE_TYPE_NAMES = Arrays.asList(new QName[] {
+            QName.NT_CHILDNODEDEFINITION,
+            QName.NT_FROZENNODE,
+            QName.NT_NODETYPE,
+            QName.NT_PROPERTYDEFINITION,
+            QName.NT_VERSION,
+            QName.NT_VERSIONEDCHILD,
+            QName.NT_VERSIONHISTORY,
+            QName.NT_VERSIONLABELS,
+            QName.REP_NODETYPES,
+            QName.REP_SYSTEM,
+            QName.REP_VERSIONSTORAGE,
+            // Supertypes
+            QName.NT_BASE,
+            QName.MIX_REFERENCEABLE
+            });
+
     /**
      * Flag indicating whether this path is absolute.
      */
@@ -125,10 +145,23 @@
         }
 
         QName firstPathStepName = pathSteps[0].getNameTest();
-        // If the first location step has a null name test we need to include
-        // the system tree ("*")
-        if (firstPathStepName == null)
+        if (firstPathStepName == null) {
+            // If the first operand of the path steps is a node type query
+            // we do not need to include the system index if the node type is
+            // none of the node types that may occur in the system index.
+            QueryNode[] pathStepOperands = pathSteps[0].getOperands();
+            if (pathStepOperands.length > 0) {
+                if (pathStepOperands[0] instanceof NodeTypeQueryNode) {
+                    NodeTypeQueryNode nodeTypeQueryNode = (NodeTypeQueryNode) pathStepOperands[0];
+                    if (!VALID_SYSTEM_INDEX_NODE_TYPE_NAMES.contains(nodeTypeQueryNode.getValue())) {
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            // If the first location step has a null name test we need to include
+            // the system tree ("*")
             return true;
+        }
         
         // Calculate the first workspace relative location step
         LocationStepQueryNode firstWorkspaceRelativeStep = pathSteps[0];