Name:
Andropogon gerardii - Sorghastrum nutans Unglaciated Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This mesic big bluestem prairie community is found in the unglaciated southern midwestern United States. It occurs on plains and the lower slopes of draws, terraces, slopes, and upland depressions. Soils are moderately well-drained, deep (100 cm or more), and fine-textured, usually silt loam or clay loam. They commonly have a slowly permeable layer beneath the solum, a relatively high water table, additions of water through seepage, or some combination of these conditions. The parent material is loess, glacial till, or rarely alluvium. The community is dominated by grasses (some as tall as 2 m) or, locally, by shrubs. Trees may be present, but their canopy covers less than 10% of the area. Dominant species of this vegetation type include Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, Baptisia alba var. macrophylla, Liatris pycnostachya, and Vernonia missurica. Other herbaceous species include Andropogon virginicus, Dalea candida, Dalea purpurea, Eryngium yuccifolium, Eupatorium altissimum, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Euphorbia corollata, Hedyotis nigricans, Helianthus angustifolius, Helianthus mollis, Liatris aspera, Mimosa nuttallii (= Mimosa quadrivalvis var. nuttallii), Panicum anceps, Panicum virgatum, Psoralidium tenuiflorum, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Rudbeckia hirta, Ruellia humilis, Schizachyrium scoparium, Silphium laciniatum, Sporobolus compositus (= Sporobolus asper), Tephrosia virginiana, Tridens flavus, Tripsacum dactyloides, and Verbesina alternifolia. Examples at the southern limit of this association's range (e.g., the Cherokee Prairies of the Arkansas River Valley) additionally include Baptisia sphaerocarpa, Dichanthelium scoparium, Euthamia leptocephala, Helianthus angustifolius, Rudbeckia grandiflora, and Tephrosia onobrychoides. Currently, management is required to limit the coverage of woody species. Fire and edaphic factors (drought) play a role in limiting woody vegetation distribution in this community. Without management, woody vegetation could become dense and shade out herbaceous prairie species.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.19346.ANDROPOGONGERAR
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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