Name:
Fraxinus pennsylvanica / Cornus foemina / Carex bromoides Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This forest is described from tributary swamps of the Northwest and North Landing rivers in extreme southeastern Virginia. Stands contain tall, well-formed individuals of Fraxinus pennsylvanica which strongly dominate the canopy layer or have high cover value in mixed stands with Acer rubrum, Nyssa biflora, and Taxodium distichum. A few stands are dominated by Populus heterophylla, these presumably representing a temporary successional phase. Subcanopy tree layers are well-developed, with Fraxinus pennsylvanica usually most abundant and Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Nyssa biflora, and Ulmus americana well represented. Cornus foemina, an irregular component of tupelo - bald-cypress swamps, is a constant, characteristic, and often dominant shrub. Other more-or-less characteristic shrubs include Carpinus caroliniana ssp. caroliniana, Itea virginica, Vaccinium fuscatum, Viburnum nudum, and Viburnum recognitum (= Viburnum dentatum var. lucidum). Vines, especially Decumaria barbara, Berchemia scandens, Toxicodendron radicans, and Smilax spp., are common. The herbaceous layer is typically lush and usually characterized by high cover of Carex bromoides. Other constant herbs are Boehmeria cylindrica, Carex seorsa, Cicuta maculata, Commelina virginica, Dichanthelium dichotomum, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, and Saururus cernuus. Less constant but more diagnostic herbs include Carex festucacea, Carex laevivaginata, Impatiens capensis, Glyceria striata, Mimulus alatus, and Zephyranthes atamasca. Because this community type often occupies small, narrow tributary swamps surrounded by agricultural or residential lands, it is particularly prone to invasion by a number of aggressive exotics, including Lonicera japonica, Microstegium vimineum, Ligustrum sinense, and Lycopus europaeus. This community occupies the edges of backswamps and the smaller tributary swamps, as a rule occurring topographically higher in the watersheds than the Taxodium distichum - Nyssa aquatica / Fraxinus caroliniana Forest (CEGL007431) in areas within the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain where these two types co-occur. Microtopography of habitats is somewhat variable and frequently exhibits slight hummock-and-hollow relief. The hydrology is seasonally to less often semipermanently flooded. Habitats may draw down completely during the growing season but in some localities retain shallow water in hollows or pools. Some stands of this vegetation are never impacted by wind tides while other stands, located at the lower topographic limits of the type, are occasionally flooded by exceptional wind-tidal events.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18920.FRAXINUSPENNSYL
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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