Name:
Pinus clausa Woodland Alliance
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
Sand pine scrub communities of Florida and southern Alabama, occurring on coastal and inland sand ridges, including those composed of coarse, white sands ('sugar sands'). This alliance includes both coastal and interior late-successional scrub vegetation, with a sparse canopy of Pinus clausa over dense to open scrub oaks and other smaller shrubs. Associations affiliated with this alliance are found primarily in three distinct areas: inland on the Florida peninsula; along the Atlantic Coast of Florida; and along the Gulf Coast of Panhandle Florida and extreme southern Alabama. The pine in the latter zone is Pinus clausa (= Pinus clausa var. immuginata), the Choctawhatchee Sand Pine (unrecognized by Kartesz 1999). This alliance concept includes examples with an open pine canopy which are generally referred to as 'coastal scrub' as well as those called 'Florida scrub.' This phase of scrub vegetation is characterized by having a fairly open pine canopy averaging approximately 7 m in height. Beneath this, oaks and other species form a dense to open layer of shrubs and stunted trees. Typical woody species include Quercus geminata, Quercus myrtifolia, Quercus chapmanii, Serenoa repens, Ceratiola ericoides, Chrysoma pauciflosculosa, (Gulf Coast only), Lyonia ferruginea, Quercus inopina, (southern peninsular Florida only), Sabal etonia, (peninsular Florida only), as well as (Gulf Coast only) Conradina canescens and Clinopodium coccineum (= Calamintha coccinea). Sabal palmetto is common in the eastern portion of Gulf scrub. The understory/shrub layer usually consists of scattered clumps of Ceratiola ericoides and may be quite open. Some Gulf Coast examples contain Smilax pumila. A denser sand pine/oak canopy leads to a less dense ground cover; the ground layer frequently includes fruticose lichens such as Cladonia leporina and Cladina evansii, which may form 100% cover in some places. This alliance occurs on various kinds of deep sands; recent coastal or near-coastal dunes, or inland sand ridges and ancient dune systems. The Florida Central Ridge is composed of a variety of eolian, alluvial, and marine deposits of Miocene to early Pleistocene age. These soils are excessively well-drained Quartzipsamments which lack silt, clay, or organic matter and are very low in nutrients. While often associated with deep white sands ('sugar sands'), not all examples of scrub occur on these particular sands. It is inferred that whiter sands are associated with more ancient scrub vegetation. Early successional scrub vegetation occurring on younger, more exposed dune ridges lacks the pine overstory characteristic of more protected occurrences. Also, the exposed occurrences tend to have much larger areas of open sand than do their more protected counterparts.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.20155.PINUSCLAUSAWOOD
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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