Name:
Quercus palustris - (Quercus bicolor) Seasonally Flooded Forest Alliance
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This alliance, found in the central midwestern United States, contains 'flatwood' and poorly drained floodplain communities characterized by a closed to partially open canopy dominated by Quercus bicolor and/or Quercus palustris. Other tree species associates include Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Acer rubrum, Carya ovata, Nyssa sylvatica, and others. Throughout much of its range, this alliance is dominated by Quercus palustris. Quercus bicolor can occur in pure stands, or in association with Quercus palustris, Quercus coccinea, Quercus alba, and Acer rubrum. Quercus macrocarpa occurs more commonly in the Great Lakes lakeplain and Quercus pagoda in the Interior Plateau. Shrub and herb layers are generally sparse, containing such species as Gaylussacia baccata, Vaccinium corymbosum, Carex stipata, Scirpus cyperinus, Thelypteris palustris, Glyceria striata, and Isoetes spp. Stands found in seepage areas have a more hydrophytic flora, including species such as Alnus serrulata, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Carex crinita, Onoclea sensibilis, and Osmunda regalis. Many stands are seasonally wet (mostly during winter and early spring) with a shallow, perched water table, but tend to be dry in late summer and early fall, a condition often leading to vegetation called 'flatwoods.' Although flatwoods are best developed on soils with massive, brittle fragipans, they are also well represented on relatively impermeable clay soils that are found on poorly drained uplands or in depressions on level glacial lake plains or outwash plains. Fragipans (or hardpans) are usually developed from glacial till of Illinoisan age in the Midwest. During the rainy season, water slowly permeates these soils and ponds in depressions. The soil dries rapidly in the summer or during drought, and herbaceous vegetation wilts in response to this stress. The penetration of tree roots in the subsoil and burrowing by animals is limited by the hardpan, and tree species may appear somewhat stunted. Some stands are found on seasonally saturated sites that receive groundwater seepage. This water, combined with rainwater, keeps the soils saturated during wet periods and moist during dry periods. The soils have a pH below 5.5. The parent material is sand, gravelly or sandy alluvium, muck, or peat.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.17983.QUERCUSPALUSTRI
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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