Name:
A.196
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
These ~Chamaecyparis thyoides$-dominated forests are found on saturated, peaty substrates. ~Chamaecyparis thyoides$ tolerates only brief inundation. The canopy of forests in this alliance may be heavily dominated by ~Chamaecyparis thyoides$, or they may contain pines (~Pinus elliottii var. elliottii$ in Florida basins, ~Pinus serotina$ in North Carolina peat domes) or hardwoods (for instance ~Acer rubrum, Nyssa biflora$, and ~Persea palustris$, or ~Liriodendron tulipifera$ in one rare example). The subcanopy may contain ~Acer rubrum var. trilobum, Nyssa biflora, Magnolia virginiana, Nyssa biflora, Persea palustris$, and ~Cliftonia monophylla$. ~Sabal palmetto$ and ~Serenoa repens$ are abundant on hummocks in one Florida association. The shrub stratum ranges from open to dense and may contain ~Clethra alnifolia, Cyrilla racemiflora, Gaylussacia frondosa (= var. frondosa), Ilex coriacea, Ilex glabra, Lyonia lucida, Magnolia virginiana, Persea palustris, Smilax laurifolia$, and ~Vaccinium formosum$. In some examples, the herbaceous stratum is well-developed and may contain ~Orontium aquaticum, Mitchella repens, Drosera$ sp., ~Osmunda cinnamomea$, and ~Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis$; in others it tends to be sparse and includes ~Woodwardia areolata, Woodwardia virginica$, and ~Osmunda cinnamomea$. ~Sphagnum$ spp., other mosses, and lichens may be common on exposed peat and rotting wood. ^Examples of this alliance may be found along small blackwater or spring-fed streams not subject to much flooding or siltation (in Florida and the East Gulf Coastal Plain); along streams or at seepages (in the Fall-line Sandhills); or in Panhandle Florida in large, constantly saturated basins (inundated under several feet of water during the spring) where fire is an infrequent event; as well as peat dome forests of North Carolina and Virginia dominated by ~Chamaecyparis$ and ~Pinus serotina$. Soils may be acidic peats but are usually circumneutral sands or sands overlain by peat. Soils are generally organic Histosols, composed of sand and peat, are permanently saturated, and include Histosols (Saprists and Hemists); the pH may be circumneutral or slightly acidic. Fires are infrequent and less destructive than in the northern range of ~Chamaecyparis thyoides$. ^Gap succession is more important in this community than post-fire regeneration and accounts for the mixed, uneven-aged stands. Lightning strikes are the main cause of mortality in mature white-cedar trees within the range of this association. Atlantic white-cedar communities are early successional but ~Chamaecyparis thyoides$ is a long-lived species (250+ years); gap regeneration is hypothesized to be the primary means of reproduction. The community often succeeds to itself following fire or other disturbance. In the absence of fire and adequate gap regeneration, Atlantic White-cedar Forests may be replaced by Bay Forest. Known examples are generally neither flood-prone, nor exposed to frequent fire. One association is thought to become established following fire, with a return time of 25-100+ years.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.1662.A196
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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