Name:
Quercus muehlenbergii - Juniperus virginiana / Schizachyrium scoparium - Manfreda virginica Wooded Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This limestone glade or barrens community is found in the central and eastern United States. Stands occur on gentle to steep slopes of hills, knobs, ridges, bluffs along streams, and broad terraces. Aspect is variable, but this vegetation is generally best developed on southern and western exposures. Parent material is limestone, cherty limestone, dolomite, or calcareous shale which is exposed at the surface, resulting in a very shallow, well-drained substrate. Soils are neutral to alkaline, shallow to moderately deep, and contain a homogenous mixture of rock fragments of various sizes. Herbaceous cover is very uneven, ranging from very dense in some areas to absent in others. Some dominant or characteristic grasses include Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, Aristida spp., and Sporobolus compositus. In deeper soil areas Andropogon gerardii may be present. At some sites Bouteloua curtipendula is present, but it may be rare or absent at others. Forbs vary in dominance by site and include Asclepias verticillata, Comandra umbellata, Coreopsis tripteris, Croton monanthogynus, Echinacea simulata, Galactia regularis, Hexalectris spicata, Helianthus divaricatus, Helianthus hirsutus, Hypericum dolabriforme, Hypericum sphaerocarpum, Euphorbia corollata, Gaura spp., Lespedeza hirta, Lespedeza virginica, Liatris aspera, Liatris cylindracea, Liatris squarrosa, Lithospermum canescens, Lobelia spicata (var. leptostachys), Manfreda virginica, Matelea obliqua, Ophioglossum engelmannii, Physostegia virginiana, Ratibida pinnata, Rudbeckia hirta, Ruellia humilis, Sabatia angularis, Scutellaria parvula, Silphium trifoliatum, Solidago nemoralis, Verbesina helianthoides, Verbesina virginica, and Zizia aptera. Quercus muehlenbergii and Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana can form a sparse canopy. Quercus stellata may be common in parts of the range. Other scattered trees which may be present include Cercis canadensis, Fraxinus quadrangulata, Quercus velutina, Quercus alba, Quercus marilandica, and Liriodendron tulipifera. The subcanopy is absent or very sparse. Commonly encountered shrubs include Celtis tenuifolia, Cornus florida, Ulmus alata, Rhus aromatica, Rhus copallinum, and Symphoricarpos orbiculatus. This vegetation may exist as more extensive areas, or in some southeastern cases, it may be limited to a more narrow zone between vegetation dominated by woody plants and that dominated by annual grasses.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.24348.QUERCUSMUEHLENB
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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