Name:
Crataegus spathulata - Cornus drummondii - Berchemia scandens Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This shrubland is dominated by <i>Crataegus spathulata, Crataegus crus-galli, Crataegus berberifolia, Crataegus engelmannii, Berchemia scandens, Cornus drummondii, Diospyros virginiana, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Ilex decidua, Sideroxylon lanuginosum ssp. lanuginosum, Prunus mexicana, Frangula caroliniana</i>, and <i>Rubus</i> spp. The tall-shrub stratum (2-5 m high) ranges from 25-60% cover. Open examples include a sparse to patchy ground cover. Grasses include <i>Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon glomeratus, Andropogon gerardii, Sporobolus</i> spp., <i>Setaria parviflora, Panicum flexile, Aristida</i> spp., <i>Paspalum floridanum</i>, and <i>Sorghastrum nutans</i>. This successional shrubland community develops on soils derived from marly clays and chalk of marine origin. These soils are typically silty clay loams, clays, and silt loams that are well-drained, slowly permeable, and alkaline (pH 7.5-8.0). Subsurface clay layers have calcareous concretions, weathered limestone aggregations and shrink-swell properties. This community typically occupies 1-8 hectares within calcareous forests dominated by <i>Pinus taeda</i> or <i>Quercus</i> spp. This community occurs in a nearly level to gently rolling landscape, on ridgetops and on gentle slopes that often border small streams. Moisture regimes are typically dry to dry-mesic. This community results from fire suppression of calcareous prairies but may also have occurred naturally in spatially or temporally fire-sheltered situations. It is associated with outcrops of the Cook Mountain Formation from western Winn Parish, west-central Louisiana and outcrops of the Fleming Formation in southeast Texas.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:32737-{74692E02-5304-4A82-A4F3-E273B9370017}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
2
|