Name:
A.903
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
This alliance, found in the northern tallgrass prairie-forest border and pine barrens regions of Minnesota, Manitoba, and Wisconsin, is comprised of upland brush prairies. The vegetation has variable amounts of low, brushy trees and shrubs in an herbaceous matrix of prairie species. The brush layer is generally less than 1.5 m tall, with total cover ranging from 30-50%. In northwestern Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada, the major shrub species are ~Salix petiolaris, Salix discolor, Betula pumila$, and ~Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda)$ in wetter stands, ~Salix bebbiana$ in moist stands, ~Amelanchier alnifolia$ and ~Prunus virginiana$ in somewhat drier stands, and ~Salix humilis$ in dry stands. ~Populus tremuloides$ suckers or saplings often form dense thickets in this alliance; grubs and stunted trees of ~Quercus macrocarpa$ are common in dry stands. The dominant grasses are ~Andropogon gerardii$ and ~Sporobolus heterolepis$ in all stands, ~Schizachyrium scoparium, Koeleria macrantha$, and ~Hesperostipa spartea (= Stipa spartea)$ in drier stands, and ~Calamagrostis stricta ssp. inexpansa (= Calamagrostis inexpansa), Spartina pectinata$, and ~Muhlenbergia richardsonis$ in more moist stands. Many mesic tallgrass prairie associates are also found, including ~Liatris aspera, Dalea purpurea, Oligoneuron rigidum (= Solidago rigida), Pycnanthemum virginianum, Symphyotrichum ericoides (= Aster ericoides), Helianthus maximiliani$, and ~Amorpha canescens$, as are a few species more typical of woodland, including ~Sanicula marilandica, Smilax lasioneura, Apocynum androsaemifolium$, and ~Carex pensylvanica$ . In the pine barrens region only the drier portions of this alliance are found. ~Quercus ellipsoidalis$ is also more common there. ^This alliance occurs on somewhat poorly drained to well-drained, sandy clay loams to loamy fine sands to coarser outwash sands. The communities are fire-dependent. In the absence of fires, trees become more abundant, and the stands eventually succeed to aspen - oak woodland. In Wisconsin, this alliance may be most extensive where frequent fires have reduced the oak stands in the pine barrens region to grub form.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.2527.A903
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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