Name:
Acer (saccharum, barbatum) - Quercus rubra - Carya cordiformis / Asimina triloba Forest
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This dry-mesic to mesic bottomland forest is found in the south-central United States, especially in the Ozark/Ouachita regions. Stands are largely restricted to narrow valleys and floodplains of small to medium-sized, high-energy streams in hilly topography. Soils are well-drained to moderately drained, somewhat deep (40-100 cm) to very deep (>100 cm). Parent material in dry-mesic bottomlands is alluvium, often with massive, but scattered, deposits of gravel and boulders. Overstory canopy is generally open because of flash flooding, but on more mesic sites it may be closed. The understory is open and weakly structured in dry-mesic sites, but more closed in mesic ones. The tree layer is dominated by Acer saccharum, Carya cordiformis, Celtis occidentalis, Fraxinus americana, Quercus alba, and Quercus rubra. Associates include Juglans nigra, Liquidambar styraciflua, and Platanus occidentalis. Stands in the Ouachita Mountains contain Acer barbatum as a codominant instead of Acer saccharum. Subcanopy trees include Aesculus glabra, Carpinus caroliniana, Cornus florida, Diospyros virginiana, and Ostrya virginiana. The shrub layer includes Asimina triloba, Corylus americana, Dirca palustris, Hypericum prolificum (= Hypericum spathulatum), and Lindera benzoin. Vines such as Vitis riparia may be present. The herbaceous layer, which ranges from more open in dry-mesic sites to more closed in mesic ones, is quite diverse. Species present, as described from Missouri, include Anemone canadensis, Aplectrum hyemale, Arundinaria gigantea, Campanulastrum americanum (= Campanula americana), Carex davisii, Carex jamesii, Cystopteris fragilis, Elephantopus carolinianus, Erythronium albidum, Enemion biternatum, Mertensia virginica, Nothoscordum bivalve, Phacelia ranunculacea, Scrophularia marilandica, Silene nivea, Tradescantia subaspera and Viola striata. In Oklahoma, other characteristic species are Celtis laevigata, Elymus virginicus, Euonymus atropurpurea, Ilex decidua, Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii, and Staphylea trifolia.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.25108.ACERSACCHARUMBA
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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