Name:
Quercus phellos - Quercus nigra - (Nyssa biflora) Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This association included forests in upland karst depressions over Fort Payne Formation cherty limestone in the Eastern Highland Rim of Tennessee. These depressions are flooded 2-10 dm deep in winter and dry or nearly so by late summer. Deepest occurrences have both <i>Nyssa biflora</i> and <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i>. The canopy is dominated by <i>Quercus phellos</i> with lesser amounts of <i>Quercus nigra</i> and <i>Liquidambar styraciflua</i>. Present in the relatively sparse subcanopy are <i>Liquidambar styraciflua, Acer rubrum var. trilobum, Nyssa sylvatica</i>, and <i>Nyssa biflora</i>, which are more often prominent in the subcanopy. The wetter the substrate, the sparser the shrub and herb layers are. The former may be comprised of <i>Vaccinium fuscatum, Rhododendron canescens</i>, and <i>Smilax rotundifolia</i> (which can be widespread in some instances). The drier the site, the denser the herbaceous layer which may contain <i>Chasmanthium laxum, Saccharum baldwinii, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Osmunda cinnamomea, Calamagrostis coarctata, Mitchella repens, Bartonia virginica</i>, and <i>Carex</i> spp. (<i>Carex joorii, Carex caroliniana, Carex barrattii, Carex debilis, Carex intumescens</i>). <i>Sphagnum</i> spp., <i>Polytrichum commune</i>, and other mosses are common. The wettest sites may have a sparse ground layer consisting of canopy/subcanopy seedlings, <i>Smilax rotundifolia, Carex</i> spp., <i>Sphagnum</i> spp., and other mosses, including <i>Fontinalis</i> sp. This community may also form a narrow ring around open shrubby/herbaceous seasonally wet depressions. At Arnold Air Force Base, examples include Sinking Pond, where this association is best developed northwest of the deeper, larger pond which is dominated by <i>Quercus lyrata</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.35292.CEGL007405
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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