Name:
Sabal palmetto Saturated Woodland Alliance
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This alliance encompasses a variety of environmental situations with saturated hydrology and a distinctive open canopy of Sabal palmetto. In Florida, this alliance may be represented by a type of open-canopy hydric hammock over organic soil dominated by a combination of Sabal palmetto, Quercus virginiana, Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, and Quercus nigra. All the upper woody strata contain prominent Sabal palmetto. Shrubs include Ilex cassine, Morella cerifera (= Myrica cerifera), Ilex glabra, Persea palustris, Cornus foemina, Diospyros virginiana, and Vaccinium corymbosum. Some other sites may consist of wet flatwoods with sand substrates and canopies of cabbage palmetto. In these cases, there is usually a well-developed shrubby stratum, consisting of species such as Morella cerifera (= Myrica cerifera var. cerifera) and Ilex glabra. The hydrology is seasonally saturated, with rare surface water. On Kiawah Island, South Carolina, woodlands dominated by Sabal palmetto occupy old dune swales and extensive low flats between old dune ridges. In this vegetation Sabal palmetto may comprise over 95% of the canopy; the only other tree species which occur are occasional Quercus laurifolia, Acer rubrum, Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola (= Juniperus silicicola), Persea sp., Morella cerifera, and Morus rubra. This open, glade-like woodland has a dense herbaceous layer containing Glyceria septentrionalis, Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense (= Cladium jamaicense), Woodwardia virginica, Woodwardia areolata, Hydrocotyle verticillata, Rhynchospora caduca, Carex stipata var. maxima, and Boehmeria cylindrica. Marsh edge Sabal palmetto communities with marsh grass understories may also belong in this alliance.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.21045.SABALPALMETTOSA
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
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