Name:
Schizachyrium scoparium - Andropogon gerardii - Silphium terebinthinaceum Coosa Valley Barren Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This barrens vegetation occurs in the Coosa River valley of northwestern Georgia and northeastern Alabama and represents the drier end of a spectrum of small prairie-like openings in a mosaic of gently rolling terrain over the Conasauga Group geology including calcareous shale and limestone. These small openings (generally less than 1 ha) are dominated by a mixture of perennial grasses and forbs many of which are disjunct midwestern prairie species or narrowly distributed endemics adapted to the unique edaphic factors present at these sites. This drier variant occurs in exposed upland topographic situations either on the crest of low ridges or south- or west-facing slopes where limestone and calcareous shale are at close proximity to the surface. Prairie-related grasses such as Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon gerardii, Sporobolus heterolepis, Bouteloua curtipendula, and Sorghastrum nutans typically predominate. Panicum virgatum is also a dominant grass species. Prairie goldenrods such as Oligoneuron rigidum and Oligoneuron album are also distinct components along with Echinacea simulata. Other disjunct elements include Spiranthes magnicamporum, Asclepias hirtella, Baptisia australis var. aberrans (= Baptisia minor var. aberrans), and Hypericum sphaerocarpum. Other herbaceous species found in this association include Silphium trifoliatum var. latifolium, Sporobolus vaginiflorus, Liatris squarrosa var. hirsuta, Liatris aspera, Ruellia humilis, Solidago nemoralis, Physostegia virginiana, Helenium autumnale, Rudbeckia fulgida, Onosmodium virginianum, Comandra umbellata, Eurybia hemispherica (= Aster hemisphericus), Allium cernuum, Scutellaria parvula var. missouriensis (= Scutellaria leonardii), Carex crawei, Isanthus brachiatus, Ionactis linariifolius, Buchnera americana, Houstonia canadensis, Lobelia spicata, Asclepias viridiflora, Symphyotrichum laeve var. concinnum, and Gaura filipes.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.27940.SCHIZACHYRIUMSC
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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