Name:
Acer saccharum - Carya cordiformis / Asimina triloba Floodplain Forest
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This maple - hickory mesic floodplain forest is found in the central United States. Stands occur on level to gently sloping ridges, terraces, natural levees, or higher elevations which border river floodplains or streams. Sites often have a ridge-and-swale topography. Mesic moisture conditions are maintained throughout most of the growing season, but some flooding does occur. Soils are moist and well- to moderately drained. In general, they have medium-textured silts and colluvial, deep, clay loams derived from sandstone and shales. Acer saccharum and Carya cordiformis dominate the overstory. The subcanopy contains a variety of tree saplings, including Ulmus americana, Ulmus rubra, Morus rubra, and Prunus serotina var. serotina. The shrub layer is often quite dense and tangled with vines. Species include Toxicodendron radicans, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Campsis radicans, Smilax tamnoides (= Smilax hispida), Smilax rotundifolia, Wisteria frutescens, and Vitis vulpina. Asimina triloba dominates the shrub layer, but Lindera benzoin, Aralia spinosa, Corylus americana, Ilex decidua, Crataegus viridis, Crataegus pruinosa, and Cornus florida are also commonly encountered. On better sites, the herbaceous stratum is dense and diverse. Typical species include Laportea canadensis, Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (= Aster lanceolatus), Polygonum virginianum, Poa sylvestris, Ruellia strepens, Tradescantia subaspera, Vernonia gigantea, Eupatorium purpureum, Teucrium canadense, and Dioscorea quaternata. Stands on the floodplains of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in western Kentucky contain other canopy species, such as Gymnocladus dioicus, Quercus pagoda, Quercus shumardii, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus muehlenbergii, Carya illinoinensis, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Nyssa sylvatica, and Juglans nigra.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.27066.ACERSACCHARUMCA
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
