Name:
Quercus marilandica var. ashei / Schizachyrium scoparium - Andropogon gerardii - Monarda fistulosa var. stipitatoglandulosa - Streptanthus maculatus / Lichens Novaculite Glade Wooded Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This association occurs in the novaculite uplift section of the central Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and probably ranges into Oklahoma. It is found on ridgetops and south-facing sideslopes over fractured outcrops of novaculite, a hard, siliceous rock. This community is a xeric, open habitat characterized by sparse tree cover of dwarfed (1-3 m) Quercus marilandica var. ashei, which can sometimes occur in clumps. Herbaceous cover is 100% except where bare rock is exposed or on talus. Lichens cover 40-70% of the exposed rock surface. Other occasional trees include Acer barbatum, Carya texana, Pinus echinata, Prunus mexicana, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus rubra, Quercus stellata, Quercus velutina, and Ulmus alata. Shrub cover is typically sparse, but may be locally dense and can include Prunus mexicana, Rhus aromatica, Celtis tenuifolia, Frangula caroliniana, Ptelea trifoliata, Ribes curvatum, Rubus sp., and Sideroxylon lanuginosum (= Bumelia lanuginosa). The dominant grasses are Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon gerardii, Danthonia spicata, Muhlenbergia sobolifera, and Dichanthelium linearifolium. Forbs are abundant. These glade openings can range in size from small (less than one hectare) to larger, often linear formations covering as much as 40 hectares. In places it is a small-patch community occurring on ridgetops within the Quercus rubra / Ostrya virginiana / Ptelea trifoliata - Ribes curvatum / Helianthus divaricatus Woodland (CEGL007828). In other areas it is a large-patch community on south-facing slopes forming a mosaic with xeric woodland communities.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.24482.QUERCUSMARILAND
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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