Name:
Quercus muehlenbergii / Packera plattensis - Parthenium auriculatum - Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This community type is a dolomite woodland of the Ridge and Valley of Virginia. It is physiognomically variable, often containing patch-mosaics of semi-closed, forb-rich woodlands, shrub thickets, and small grassy openings. The average expression appears to be an open to very open woodland with a sparse layer of somewhat stunted trees 6-10 m tall and scattered emergent trees 10-15 m tall. Mean stratum cover for each tree stratum is 15% in the four plots analyzed here. However, because plots were often placed in the most open portions of these woodlands, mean cover in tree strata may be somewhat understated. Quercus muehlenbergii is the most constant and abundant tree. Liriodendron tulipifera and, more locally, Pinus strobus are its most frequent associates. Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Fraxinus americana, and Magnolia acuminata are occasional components of the 6- to 10-m tall tree layer. Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, Cornus florida, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, and Ostrya virginiana comprise most of the shrub layer (mean stratum cover = 50%), along with sapling Pinus strobus and Quercus muehlenbergii. The herbaceous layer (mean stratum cover = 56%) contains a mixture of drought-tolerant graminoids, forbs, and low shrubs such as Berberis canadensis, Ceanothus americanus, Hypericum prolificum, Rhus aromatica var. aromatica, and Rosa carolina. Dominant or locally abundant herbs include Carex pensylvanica, Dichanthelium boscii, Helianthus divaricatus, Phlox latifolia, Parthenium auriculatum (= Parthenium integrifolium var. auriculatum), Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, and Packera plattensis (= Senecio plattensis). Thinly shaded, forb-dominated phases contain many distinctive herbaceous species, including Symphyotrichum laeve (= Aster laevis), Brickellia eupatorioides var. eupatorioides, Helianthus laevigatus, Solidago arguta var. harrisii, Taenidia integerrima, Thalictrum revolutum, and Zizia aptera. Small openings are characterized by the grasses Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula, and Sporobolus clandestinus. Light-demanding forbs such as Echinacea laevigata, Liatris aspera var. intermedia, Lithospermum canescens, and Lobelia spicata var. leptostachys may also be prominent in these openings, which resemble very small, prairie-like barrens.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.25728.QUERCUSMUEHLENB
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
