Name:
Quercus (pagoda, shumardii) / Cornus foemina / Podophyllum peltatum - Hymenocallis occidentalis Flatwoods Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
These seasonally inundated wet hardwood forests occur on gently rolling or flat terrain along small streams and sometimes on shallowly depressed upland flats in the Great Valley subsection of the Ridge and Valley of Georgia and Alabama. These communities are typically located within a few miles of the major rivers of this region. Known examples occur along the Conasauga, Coosawattee, Oostanaula and Coosa rivers. In Georgia, these sites are locally known as "flatwoods." The substrate for this association is deep, stiff calcareous clays derived from weathered shale and limestone of the Conasauga Group. They are very poorly drained and seasonally inundated by winter rain and then subjected to extreme drying and cracking during the summer growing season. This results in a canopy that tends to be somewhat stunted and open allowing for a very well-developed and diverse herbaceous layer that includes many calciphilic species. Characteristically these forests are a mosaic of wetland depressions interspersed with scattered, raised hummocks of marginally upland forest. Stands of this association are dominated by a variable combination of <i>Celtis laevigata, Quercus pagoda, Quercus phellos</i>, and <i>Quercus shumardii</i>, but the canopy is very diverse and quite variable. In some occurrences, <i>Carya myristiciformis</i> is an important component. The understory and shrub layer can vary greatly from open, to patchy, to occasionally quite dense. <i>Cornus foemina, Chionanthus virginicus, Ulmus alata, Ostrya virginiana, Ilex decidua, Sideroxylon lycioides, Carpinus caroliniana</i>, and <i>Cercis canadensis</i> are conspicuous dominants. Like the canopy layer, the understory and shrub layer is very diverse. The herbaceous layer is perhaps the most diverse component of this association and can include a large number of species where extensive expanses of this habitat exists. Included here are rare narrow endemics such as <i>Prenanthes barbata, Clematis socialis, Thalictrum debile</i>, and <i>Aureolaria patula</i>. Openings within these associations can sometimes include other narrowly distributed species such as <i>Marshallia mohrii</i> and <i>Jamesianthus alabamensis</i>. Many herbaceous species found in these flatwoods are disjunct northern or midwestern species with prairie affiliations such as <i>Asclepias purpurascens, Packera paupercula, Clematis fremontii</i>, and <i>Lilium michiganense</i>. Often, calciphilic species can predominate. Many additional herbaceous species occur in these forests, some with wetland affinities and others that are aligned with rich mesic woodlands. Few deciduous forested plant associations can compare with this association in overall plant diversity and potential for rare species.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:32738-{2993B9C6-2EB6-4C32-BE50-552F326E9CB5}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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