Name:
A.386
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
This alliance includes communities dominated by the nominal species, on xeric, sandy sites in the Coastal Plain west of the Mississippi River. The canopy coverage may be variable, reflecting the range of situations involved, ranging from open canopied woodlands on very well-drained Pleistocene terraces and low, broad ridges on deep, acidic sandy soils to slightly more or less dense examples on similarly droughty sites. In addition to the nominal canopy species, ~Carya texana$ may be present. Among the subcanopy, ~Quercus incana$ is arguably the most constant species. In most cases a patchy shrub stratum (varying from approximately 30-60% in total cover) consisting of stunted, scrubby ~Quercus$ spp. and tall shrubs ranging from 2.5-5 m in height is present. ~Quercus arkansana$, a rare Coastal Plain endemic species, may occur in some examples. Due to xeric conditions, graminoids and forbs are very sparse in this community, and patches of exposed sand are common. Lichens (~Cladonia$ spp.) and spike-moss (~Selaginella arenicola ssp. riddellii$) form large patches. Typical shrubs include ~Sassafras albidum, Vaccinium arboreum, Ilex vomitoria, Sideroxylon lanuginosum ssp. lanuginosum, Asimina parviflora, Chionanthus virginicus, Stillingia sylvatica$, and ~Frangula caroliniana$, and seedlings of canopy species. Depending, in part, upon management history, the herbaceous layer density may vary widely and is sometimes quite sparse. However, in nearly all cases it will contain a suite of habitat fidels, several of which are either endemic or nearly so to the West Gulf Coastal Plain. Herbaceous species may include ~Aristida desmantha, Schizachyrium scoparium, Opuntia humifusa, Cnidoscolus texanus, Eriogonum longifolium, Eriogonum multiflorum, Penstemon murrayanus, Polanisia erosa, Polygonella americana, Polygonella polygama$, and ~Zornia bracteata$. More open examples that approach woodland structure may contain scattered patches of fruticose lichens (~Cladonia$ spp.) and possibly spike-moss (~Selaginella arenicola ssp. riddellii$). The historical fire frequency of these vegetation types is unknown but is widely believed to have been less than that of ~Pinus palustris$-dominated woodlands (which sometimes occur adjacent to this type). Too frequent fires would not allow for the persistence of ~Pinus echinata$ and hardwood species, although young ~Pinus echinata$ has the ability to resprout when top-killed by fire. In some areas of eastern Texas these xeric sandhills occupy very limited portions of the landscape possibly suggesting that natural fire frequencies may not have been as constant or as frequent as would be necessary to maintain herbaceous-dominated woodlands. In addition, the extremely droughty soils contribute to only sparse fine fuel build-up making frequent, natural fires difficult to either ignite or spread. In the continued absence of fire, these mixed forests may become increasingly invaded by ~Pinus taeda$. This alliance occurs on ridgetops and flat xeric uplands on very well-drained, acidic sandy soils in the West Gulf Coastal Plain and Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Its status in the western part of the East Gulf Coastal Plain is unclear.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.2058.A386
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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- status: accepted
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 Community's Parent: I.C.3.N.a
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This Community's Level:
Alliance
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 This Community's Children:
[none]
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Names:
Scientific: PINUS (ECHINATA, TAEDA) - QUERCUS (INCANA, MARGARETTIAE, ARKANSANA) FOREST ALLIANCE
Code: A.386
Common: (Shortleaf Pine, Loblolly Pine) - (Bluejack Oak, Sand Post Oak, Arkansas Oak) Forest Alliance
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(undetermined)
Pinus (echinata, taeda) - Quercus (incana, margarettiae, arkansana) Forest Alliance
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