Name:
Quercus stellata - Quercus marilandica Woodland Alliance
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This alliance includes open-canopy stands, typically dominated by Quercus stellata and/or Quercus marilandica, found throughout the southeastern and lower midwestern United States. These communities are physiognomically variable, locally varying from deciduous to mixed, these mixed stands often having substantial Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, especially as a result of fire suppression. These post oak - blackjack oak barrens are more edaphically extreme or frequently burned than the corresponding I.B.2.N.a Quercus stellata - Quercus marilandica Forest Alliance (A.253), which is currently more common due to fire suppression. Some examples occur on 2:1 montmorillonitic clays, while others are on limestone-derived soils. Canopy and subcanopy associates, in addition to Quercus stellata and Quercus marilandica, may include Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Pinus echinata, Pinus virginiana, Carya texana, Carya glabra, Cornus florida, Quercus alba, Quercus falcata, Quercus prinus, Quercus velutina, Diospyros virginiana, Chionanthus virginicus, and Vaccinium arboreum. Pinus palustris may be present in this alliance in the West Gulf Coastal Plain of eastern Texas and western Louisiana. In associations on mafic substrates, Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Ulmus alata, Fraxinus americana, and Cercis canadensis are common. Acer rubrum and Liquidambar styraciflua increase with disturbance. Shrubs may be sparse to dense, and species present include Viburnum rafinesquianum, Ilex longipes, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Gaylussacia baccata, Rhododendron canescens, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Viburnum prunifolium. In the southeastern Coastal Plain, some stands may contain Quercus margarettiae. A rare type that occurs in North and South Carolina has an herbaceous layer containing many prairie species such as Silphium terebinthinaceum, Solidago nemoralis, Coreopsis major, Liatris aspera, Andropogon gerardii, and Sorghastrum nutans. The most common herbaceous species are Schizachyrium scoparium and Danthonia spicata. In Tennessee, woodlands in this alliance occur in the Central Basin and adjacent Highland Rim and may contain Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and/or Sorghastrum nutans. Pines are absent; instead, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana may be present in the more-or-less open subcanopy. Shrubs in the Central Basin examples include Forestiera ligustrina, Hypericum frondosum, Rhus aromatica, and Viburnum rufidulum. Fire suppression in these sites may lead to dense undergrowth of Juniperus. In Louisiana and Texas (and in the Sandhills of the southeastern Coastal Plain), this alliance results mostly from pine removal and fire suppression, and examples only marginally fit this concept. This alliance occurs on xeric sites in northwestern Arkansas and may include some of Arkansas's glade/outcrop complexes and prairie communities, as well as ridgetop savanna / glade communities. This alliance is widespread throughout the southeastern and lower midwestern United States and occurs in the following regions: Ozarks, Interior Low Plateau, Boston Mountains, Southern Piedmont, Southern Ridge and Valley, Arkansas Valley, Ouachita Mountains, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain (Black Belt), Crowley's Ridge, and the Prairie Parkland.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.17957.QUERCUSSTELLATA
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
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