Name:
Quercus alba - (Quercus prinus) / Hydrangea quercifolia - Viburnum acerifolium / Carex picta - Piptochaetium avenaceum Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This association includes dry-mesic white oak forests of the southern Cumberland Plateau in Alabama. This forest occurs mostly over sandstone-derived soils, on middle to high slopes and ridges; also included are areas influenced by calcareous rocks or soils. Diagnostic features of this association are canopy dominance by Quercus alba, with an overall dry-mesic species composition, signified by the prominence of Quercus prinus, Vaccinium spp., Oxydendrum arboreum, Cornus florida, and by the absence or low coverage of mesophytic forest species (e.g., Fagus grandifolia, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Ilex opaca var. opaca, Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnolia acuminata, Euonymus americana). Additionally, the high constancy of species such as Magnolia macrophylla, Hydrangea quercifolia, and Carex picta serves to help identify this type. Pinus taeda and/or Pinus virginiana (especially on higher slopes) may also be present, but may indicate past disturbance. The most common subcanopy species are Cornus florida, Oxydendrum arboreum, and Magnolia macrophylla. On higher slopes and ridges Nyssa sylvatica and Carya glabra become additional, important subcanopy components. In areas with a calcareous influence, Ostrya virginiana may be dominant in the subcanopy. The shrub strata vary in density from site to site, but the constant shrub species are Hydrangea quercifolia and Viburnum acerifolium. On high slopes and ridges Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium stamineum, and Vaccinium pallidum become shrub components, sometimes dominating the shrub layers. The herbaceous stratum can be sparse, but often has patches of local dominance by Carex picta, especially on lower to middle slope positions. Piptochaetium avenaceum and Vitis rotundifolia are characteristic of occurrences on high slopes and ridges. Additional herbs with high constancy are Polystichum acrostichoides and Chimaphila maculata, although other species may be present in examples of this forest.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.17914.QUERCUSALBAQUER
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
