Name:
Cephalanthus occidentalis Semipermanently Flooded Shrubland Alliance
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This alliance, which occurs throughout the eastern half of the United States and southern Ontario, Canada, contains semipermanently flooded stands dominated by Cephalanthus occidentalis. Stands vary from dense, tall-shrub thickets to open shrublands. Tree canopy cover may reach 25% in some stands, with tree associates including Acer saccharinum and Quercus palustris in the North to Taxodium distichum in the South. Standing water may cover the ground layer. Cephalanthus occidentalis is often the sole dominant in stands of this alliance, particularly in deeper (>0.5 m depth) zones of groundwater basins or lake borders on deep organic soils. Occasional shrub associates in the northern parts of its range include any number of Salix spp. or Cornus spp., Viburnum dentatum, Rosa palustris, Ilex verticillata, and Vaccinium corymbosum. Floating aquatics, such as Lemna spp., can be common in deepwater habitats, whereas a variety of forbs and graminoids are associates under less flooded conditions. These include Boehmeria cylindrica, Scutellaria lateriflora, Sium suave, and Bidens tripartita, Glyceria spp., Leersia oryzoides, Polygonum spp., and a wide variety of Carex spp. This shrubland vegetation occupies shallow water depressions, oxbow ponds, sinkhole ponds, and backwater sloughs of stream and river floodplains throughout swampy forested areas in the eastern United States. Inundation is usually continuous throughout the year, but these sites can become dry in mid or late summer or during periods of prolonged drought. Cephalanthus appears to be very tolerant of extended periods of inundation which, by slowing canopy closure of trees and maintaining higher light levels, may favor this shrub. Soils can vary in texture from clays to sands, with organic horizons overlying these soils.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18203.CEPHALANTHUSOCC
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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