Name:
Liquidambar styraciflua - (Quercus alba, Acer saccharum) / Carpinus caroliniana / Lindera benzoin Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This community includes hardwood forests associated with small or intermittent streams in the Ouachita Mountains and Ozarks of Arkansas and Oklahoma. These forests develop on small, alluvial flats, terraces, and levees, often on or adjacent to cobble bars. In contrast to forests found on larger rivers (broader floodplains) in the region, vegetation zonation in this community is absent to poorly defined. Examples of this community may have ambiguous hydrology and are often described as being on the conceptual border between upland and temporarily flooded, a fact reflected in the species composition. Canopy composition is variable from site to site, but always includes Liquidambar styraciflua, often as the main canopy dominant. Other species that may have high coverage in the canopy are Quercus alba, Acer saccharum, Fagus grandifolia, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Tilia americana var. caroliniana. Other typical canopy associates are Betula nigra, Juglans nigra, Platanus occidentalis, Carya cordiformis, Celtis laevigata, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus nigra, Quercus rubra, and Ulmus americana. Carpinus caroliniana is a typical subcanopy dominant. The subcanopy can include Ostrya virginiana, Magnolia acuminata, Cercis canadensis, and Acer negundo. The shrub layer varies in density and composition from site to site. Characteristic shrubs are Lindera benzoin, Arundinaria gigantea, Alnus serrulata, Callicarpa americana, Dirca palustris, and Hypericum prolificum. Toxicodendron radicans and Parthenocissus quinquefolia are common vines. The herbaceous strata can be species-rich on some sites, but other examples have sparse, species-poor, herb layers. Typical species include Boehmeria cylindrica, Brachyelytrum erectum, Carex sp., Chasmanthium latifolium, Dioscorea oppositifolia, Iris cristata, Pedicularis canadensis, Polygonum virginianum, and Verbesina alternifolia.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.19914.LIQUIDAMBARSTYR
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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