Name:
Quercus prinus - Quercus (alba, falcata, rubra, velutina) Forest Alliance
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
Dry-mesic to mesic forests dominated by Quercus prinus occurring in admixture with other Quercus species, in the Blue Ridge, Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, Cumberland Plateau, and the Interior Low Plateau. Quercus prinus is the leading dominant in these forests, but other common canopy species can include Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Quercus falcata, Quercus rubra, Quercus velutina, Acer rubrum, Carya alba, Carya glabra, Carya ovalis, Carya ovata, Carya pallida, Fagus grandifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa sylvatica, and Pinus strobus. The subcanopy often contains Cornus florida and Oxydendrum arboreum. Drier examples can contain Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana. Other common species in the subcanopy/shrub stratum include Acer rubrum, Carya glabra, Cercis canadensis, Hamamelis virginiana, Kalmia latifolia, Nyssa sylvatica, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Rhododendron maximum, Robinia pseudoacacia, Stewartia ovata, Symplocos tinctoria, Vaccinium stamineum, and Viburnum acerifolium. The ground flora varies depending on available light, moisture, and soil nutrients but can be quite diverse, especially in associations with sparse shrub cover. Herbaceous species characteristic of these dry-mesic to mesic oak - hickory forests include Symphyotrichum cordifolium (= Aster cordifolius), Symphyotrichum retroflexum (= Aster curtisii), Eurybia macrophylla (= Aster macrophyllus), Symphyotrichum undulatum (= Aster undulatus), Botrychium virginianum, Carex nigromarginata, Chimaphila maculata, Actaea racemosa (= Cimicifuga racemosa), Collinsonia canadensis, Coreopsis major, Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (= Cypripedium pubescens), Danthonia compressa, Danthonia spicata, Dioscorea villosa, Epigaea repens, Eupatorium album, Eupatorium purpureum, Galax urceolata, Galium triflorum, Houstonia purpurea (= Hedyotis purpurea), Hieracium venosum, Iris cristata, Maianthemum racemosum, Medeola virginiana, Melanthium parviflorum, Polystichum acrostichoides, Prenanthes altissima, Pycnanthemum incanum, Scutellaria ovata, Tephrosia virginiana, Uvularia perfoliata, and Uvularia puberula. Vines are common and species that may be present include Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Smilax spp., and Toxicodendron radicans. In the Cumberland Plateau, forests in this alliance have replaced forests once dominated by Castanea dentata and often have chestnut sprouts in the understory. Forests in this alliance are known from moderately sheltered low ridges, flats, and valleys at lower elevations (762-1036 m; 2500-3400 feet) in the Blue Ridge and from upper slopes, draws, and gorge slopes in the Cumberland Plateau, and from upper to middle, dry-mesic slopes in the Piedmont. This alliance provisionally includes forests over limestone in the lower portions of the Ridge and Valley.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18207.QUERCUSPRINUSQU
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
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