Name:
Quercus alba - Quercus rubra - Quercus muehlenbergii / Cercis canadensis Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This dry-mesic white oak - mixed oak alkaline forest community is found in unglaciated areas of the Interior Highlands of the east-central United States. Stands occur on gentle to steep slopes with moderately to well-drained moist loamy/sandy, relatively neutral to basic soils, which are underlain by bedrock of limestone and less commonly sandstone, siltstone, or shale. Soils may be shallow to somewhat deep (20-100 cm), with rock fragments present. The canopy is dense, yet enough scattered light penetrates to encourage a rich and diverse herbaceous layer, especially in the spring. Typical tree dominants include <i>Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Quercus velutina</i>, and <i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i>. Typical associates include <i>Carya ovata, Carya tomentosa</i>, and <i>Liriodendron tulipifera</i>. Other shade-tolerant tree associates that may dominate the subcanopy include <i>Acer saccharum</i> (or possibly <i>Acer floridanum</i> to the south), <i>Ulmus rubra, Juglans nigra, Fraxinus americana, Ostrya virginiana, Carpinus caroliniana</i>, and <i>Amelanchier arborea</i>. <i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i> is a key, but perhaps uncommon, indicator of the more neutral to alkaline soil characteristics of this type. Typical shrubs include <i>Aesculus glabra, Asimina triloba, Cercis canadensis, Cornus florida, Euonymus americanus, Frangula caroliniana</i>, and <i>Viburnum rufidulum</i>. Woody vines include <i>Parthenocissus quinquefolia</i> and <i>Toxicodendron radicans</i>. Herbaceous species include <i>Anemone virginiana, Arisaema triphyllum, Botrychium virginianum, Carex jamesii, Actaea racemosa, Desmodium glutinosum, Desmodium rotundifolium, Dioscorea quaternata, Goodyera pubescens, Hybanthus concolor, Iris cristata, Maianthemum racemosum, Passiflora lutea</i>, and <i>Sanicula canadensis</i>. These forests occur in habitats transitional between mesic to wet riparian and floodplain communities and the drier ridgetop ecosystems.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30979-{0DCBA297-2EEB-4139-A221-AA5A61842E90}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
4
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