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. <i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i> is the most constant and abundant tree. <i>Liriodendron tulipifera</i> and, more locally, <i>Pinus strobus</i> are its most frequent associates. <i>Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Fraxinus americana</i>, and <i>Magnolia acuminata</i> are occasional components of the 6- to 10-m tall tree layer. <i>Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, Cornus florida, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana</i>, and <i>Ostrya virginiana</i> comprise most of the shrub layer (mean stratum cover = 50%), along with sapling <i>Pinus strobus</i> and <i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i>. The herbaceous layer (mean stratum cover = 56%) contains a mixture of drought-tolerant graminoids, forbs, and low shrubs such as <i>Berberis canadensis, Ceanothus americanus, Hypericum prolificum, Rhus aromatica var. aromatica</i>, and <i>Rosa carolina</i>. Dominant or locally abundant herbs include <i>Carex pensylvanica, Dichanthelium boscii, Helianthus divaricatus, Phlox latifolia, Parthenium auriculatum (= Parthenium integrifolium var. auriculatum), Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium</i>, and <i>Packera plattensis (= Senecio plattensis)</i>. Thinly shaded, forb-dominated phases contain many distinctive herbaceous species, including <i>Symphyotrichum laeve (= Aster laevis), Brickellia eupatorioides var. eupatorioides, Helianthus laevigatus, Solidago arguta var. harrisii, Taenidia integerrima, Thalictrum revolutum</i>, and <i>Zizia aptera</i>. Small openings are characterized by the grasses <i>Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula</i>, and <i>Sporobolus clandestinus</i>. Light-demanding forbs such as <i>Echinacea laevigata, Liatris aspera var. intermedia, Lithospermum canescens</i>, and <i>Lobelia spicata var. leptostachys</i> may also be prominent in these openings, which resemble very small, prairie-like barrens.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.31285.CEGL006030
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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