Name:
(Quercus stellata) / Schizachyrium scoparium - Piptochaetium avenaceum - Aristida purpurascens - Delphinium carolinianum Nepheline Syenite Wooded Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This association encompasses perennial grass glades with scattered trees, found zonally around the massive outcrops of nepheline syenite that form flat or slightly sloping outcrops and throughout the more broken nepheline syenite rock outcrops in the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas. Vegetative cover in undisturbed glades is over 80%. The herbaceous vegetation is moderately short (to 2 feet) and is dominated by <i>Schizachyrium scoparium</i> with <i>Aristida purpurascens, Piptochaetium avenaceum</i>, and <i>Tridens flavus</i>. The herbaceous layer is diverse and may include <i>Agalinis skinneriana, Allium cernuum, Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon ternarius, Aristida oligantha, Asclepias hirtella, Asclepias tuberosa, Asclepias verticillata, Asclepias viridiflora, Symphyotrichum patens (= Aster patens), Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, Carex basiantha, Carex retroflexa, Chamaecrista fasciculata, Chrysopsis pilosa, Coreopsis lanceolata, Desmodium ciliare, Dichanthelium linearifolium, Digitaria cognata, Echinacea pallida, Euphorbia corollata, Euthamia leptocephala, Galactia regularis, Glandularia canadensis, Grindelia lanceolata, Hedyotis nigricans, Helianthus hirsutus, Houstonia longifolia (= var. longifolia), Hypericum gentianoides, Hypericum hypericoides, Hypericum punctatum, Hypoxis hirsuta, Krigia virginica, Lechea tenuifolia, Lespedeza repens, Lespedeza violacea, Lespedeza virginica, Liatris squarrosa var. hirsuta, Liatris squarrulosa, Manfreda virginica, Monarda fistulosa, Opuntia humifusa, Panicum virgatum, Phlox pilosa ssp. ozarkana, Rhynchosia latifolia, Ruellia humilis, Scleria ciliata, Packera tomentosa (= Senecio tomentosus), Silphium laciniatum, Solidago petiolaris, Stylosanthes biflora, Trichostema dichotomum, Viola pedata</i>, and <i>Yucca arkansana</i>. Woody species consist of scattered <i>Quercus stellata</i> and (in some locations) <i>Pinus echinata</i> forming a sparse, short canopy (to 15 feet) with considerable die-back during droughts. Occasional woody species may include <i>Carya texana, Cercis canadensis, Crataegus marshallii, Diospyros virginiana, Frangula caroliniana, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Quercus velutina, Rhus aromatica, Rhus copallinum, Sideroxylon lanuginosum</i>, and <i>Ulmus alata</i>, depending on fire regime. This community grades into ~<i>Sporobolus clandestinus - Clinopodium arkansanum - Camassia scilloides - Sabatia campestris - Talinum calycinum</i> - Lichens Nepheline Syenite Herbaceous Vegetation (CEGL008421)$$ on more extreme rock outcrops and <i>Quercus stellata - Carya texana - (Pinus echinata) / Schizachyrium scoparium - Helianthus hirsutus - Tradescantia ohiensis</i> xeric nepheline syenite knob woodland (this to be described by D. Zollner) on less extreme sites. The highest quality community examples are at the Bauxite Natural Areas and Granite Mountain in Saline and Pulaski counties, Arkansas. The type locality is in Saline County, Arkansas.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.35947.CEGL008422
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
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