Name:
Quercus phellos - Quercus nigra - (Nyssa biflora) Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This association included forests in upland karst depressions over Fort Payne Formation cherty limestone in the Eastern Highland Rim of Tennessee. These depressions are flooded 2-10 dm deep in winter and dry or nearly so by late summer. Deepest occurrences have both Nyssa biflora and Nyssa sylvatica. The canopy is dominated by Quercus phellos with lesser amounts of Quercus nigra and Liquidambar styraciflua. Present in the relatively sparse subcanopy are Liquidambar styraciflua, Acer rubrum var. trilobum, Nyssa sylvatica, and Nyssa biflora, which are more often prominent in the subcanopy. The wetter the substrate, the sparser the shrub and herb layers are. The former may be comprised of Vaccinium fuscatum, Rhododendron canescens, and Smilax rotundifolia (which can be widespread in some instances). The drier the site, the denser the herbaceous layer which may contain Chasmanthium laxum, Saccharum baldwinii, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Osmunda cinnamomea, Calamagrostis coarctata, Mitchella repens, Bartonia virginica, and Carex spp. (Carex joorii, Carex caroliniana, Carex barrattii, Carex debilis, Carex intumescens). Sphagnum spp., Polytrichum commune, and other mosses are common. The wettest sites may have a sparse ground layer consisting of canopy/subcanopy seedlings, Smilax rotundifolia, Carex spp., Sphagnum spp., and other mosses, including Fontinalis sp. This community may also form a narrow ring around open shrubby/herbaceous seasonally wet depressions. At Arnold Air Force Base, examples include Sinking Pond, where this association is best developed northwest of the deeper, larger pond which is dominated by Quercus lyrata.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.21394.QUERCUSPHELLOSQ
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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