Name:
Fagus grandifolia - Magnolia grandiflora Forest Alliance
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This alliance includes a variety of mesic to dry-mesic, mixed broad-leaved evergreen-deciduous hardwood forests, occurring in fire-sheltered situations, on sandy, clayey, or calcareous substrates in the southeastern Coastal Plain. Magnolia grandiflora and Fagus grandifolia are characteristic species, and may be codominant in less species-rich associations. In more species-rich associations, canopy composition is very diverse and mixed, with no species dominating. Typical canopy species in this alliance include Magnolia grandiflora, Fagus grandifolia, Acer barbatum, Carya alba, Carya glabra, Carya pallida, Celtis laevigata, Fraxinus americana, Ilex opaca, Juglans nigra, Liquidambar styraciflua, Magnolia macrophylla, Oxydendrum arboreum, Persea borbonia, Pinus glabra, Pinus taeda, Quercus alba, Quercus hemisphaerica, Quercus michauxii, Quercus pagoda, Quercus shumardii, Quercus virginiana, Sabal palmetto, Sapindus saponaria (= Sapindus marginatus), Tilia americana var. caroliniana, Ulmus alata, and Ulmus americana. Typical subcanopy species may include Carpinus caroliniana ssp. caroliniana, Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, Cornus florida, Halesia carolina, Halesia diptera (= var. diptera and = var. magniflora), Magnolia acuminata, Magnolia ashei, Magnolia macrophylla, Magnolia pyramidata, Ostrya virginiana, Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Quercus hemisphaerica, Nyssa sylvatica, Ilex opaca var. opaca, Oxydendrum arboreum, Persea borbonia, Prunus caroliniana, Taxus floridana (rare and restricted), and Torreya taxifolia (rare and restricted). Typical shrubs and woody vines include Chionanthus virginicus, Hamamelis virginiana, Ilex vomitoria, Illicium floridanum (East Gulf Coastal Plain only), Hydrangea quercifolia, Kalmia latifolia, Sebastiania fruticosa, Stewartia malacodendron, Styrax grandifolius, Symplocos tinctoria, Rhododendron austrinum, Halesia diptera, Clethra alnifolia, Vaccinium elliottii, Asimina parviflora, and Toxicodendron radicans. Typical herbaceous stratum species may include Sanicula canadensis var. canadensis (= Sanicula canadensis var. floridana), Mitchella repens, Elephantopus carolinianus, Hexastylis arifolia, Polystichum acrostichoides, Aristolochia serpentaria, Asplenium platyneuron, Polystichum acrostichoides, Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. setarius (= Oplismenus setarius), Smilax pumila, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Chasmanthium laxum, and Pteridium aquilinum var. pseudocaudatum. Tillandsia usneoides and Pleopeltis polypodioides ssp. michauxiana are frequent and typical epiphytes. Species composition is variable and dependent on geography, topographic position, and soil chemistry. Vegetation which represents the drier phase of this alliance may contain more Pinus glabra, Quercus alba, Quercus falcata, and possibly also Pinus taeda than more mesic examples. This vegetation may grade into that of the Quercus alba - (Quercus nigra) Forest Alliance (A.238) or the Pinus taeda - Quercus (alba, falcata, stellata) Forest Alliance (A.404).
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18389.FAGUSGRANDIFOLI
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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