Name:
Fraxinus pennsylvanica - Ulmus americana - Celtis (occidentalis, laevigata) Temporarily Flooded Forest Alliance
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
Forests of this alliance occur on base-rich alluvial sites in floodplains of large and small, generally alluvial or brownwater rivers, on low ridges, flats, and sloughs of first bottoms; and terrace flats and sloughs. Species composition differs somewhat with geography and topographic position. Dominant species in these forests are some combination of Celtis laevigata, Celtis occidentalis, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Ulmus americana. Characteristic canopy and subcanopy species include Carya aquatica, Quercus texana, Quercus phellos, Quercus nigra, Quercus lyrata, Quercus laurifolia, Quercus muehlenbergii, Taxodium distichum, Sideroxylon lanuginosum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Ulmus alata, Ulmus crassifolia, Ulmus rubra, Nyssa biflora, Diospyros virginiana, Gleditsia aquatica, Gleditsia triacanthos, Acer rubrum, Acer negundo, Acer saccharinum, Platanus occidentalis, Populus deltoides, Salix nigra, Carya illinoinensis, Morus rubra, Carpinus caroliniana, Asimina triloba, Planera aquatica, Cornus foemina, and Crataegus viridis. Common shrubs include Cornus drummondii and Ilex decidua. Vines are especially common in these forests, and species that may be present include Berchemia scandens, Campsis radicans, Smilax bona-nox, Bignonia capreolata, Vitis rotundifolia, Brunnichia ovata, Cocculus carolinus, and Toxicodendron radicans. Common herbaceous species include Carex grayi, Carex lupulina, Carex retroflexa, Carex intumescens, Pilea pumila, Viola affinis, Galium tinctorium, Carex bromoides, Elymus virginicus, Packera glabella (= Senecio glabellus), Hydrocotyle verticillata, and Stellaria prostrata. Occasionally, small occurrences of this community may be composed of almost pure Fraxinus pennsylvanica particularly on moist flats or in shallow sloughs; likewise occurrences on fronts are more likely to be dominated by Celtis spp. Celtis laevigata is common in the southern portion of the alliance's range, while Celtis occidentalis is more common in the north. This is a very widely distributed alliance that occurs in suitable habitat from the Prairie Parkland of North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to the Coastal Plain of Florida. It occurs on the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont as far north as Virginia, and is common as well in the Interior Low Plateau. It is attributed to the Cumberlands/Southern Ridge and Valley, but without complete information. In the leveed Mississippi River Alluvial Plain, this alliance was found to succeed from Black Willow Riverfront Forest away from the levee, from Sycamore - Sweetgum - American Elm Bottomland Forest following repeated disturbance, and from Sweetgum - Mixed Bottomland Oak Forest following repeated selective harvests.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18439.FRAXINUSPENNSYL
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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