Name:
Ebenopsis ebano Forest Alliance
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
Subtropical forests in extreme southern Texas, along the lower Rio Grande, with Ebenopsis ebano (= Pithecellobium ebano) as a codominant. Associated species can include Ehretia anacua, Leucaena pulverulenta, Phaulothamnus spinescens, Sideroxylon celastrinum, Havardia pallens, Zanthoxylum fagara, Condalia hookeri, Celtis pallida, Ziziphus obtusifolia, and Prosopis glandulosa. This community occurs in an area of subtropical climate with over 300 frost-free days per year and average precipitation of 66 cm per year. These forests occur on deep, well-drained soils of the Rio Grande River delta, and are most often associated with mesic resaca banks, low lying areas formed by old river channels. This alliance is extremely restricted, much of the original acreage having been cleared for row crops and pasture. It is known only from the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Tamaulipas. This alliance also includes subtropical forests of southern Texas dominated or codominated by Sabal mexicana. Associated species can include Fraxinus berlandieriana, Celtis laevigata, Ulmus crassifolia, Ebenopsis ebano, Leucaena pulverulenta, and Ehretia anacua. Tillandsia usneoides may occur as an epiphyte in the canopy. Undergrowth may be absent to dense, with a tangle of vines, shrubs, and fallen trees. Typical shrubs include Havardia pallens, Sideroxylon celastrinum (= Bumelia celastrina), Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (= Malvaviscus drummondii), and Celtis pallida. These forests occur on silts and sands of the Rio Grande River floodplain, as fragmented stands within an agricultural landscape. Fire and periodic flooding are thought to be critical factors to maintain Sabal mexicana forests. Forests in this alliance are known from a few sites south of Brownsville, Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Similar vegetation once was found in Mexico and probably is now totally eliminated.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.22995.EBENOPSISEBANOF
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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