Name:
Quercus stellata - (Quercus marilandica, Ulmus crassifolia) / Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association is found on limestone uplands characterized by shallow, rocky "Redlands" soils in the Lampasas Cutplain and other areas of the Edwards Plateau in Texas. The canopy is dominated by <i>Quercus stellata</i>. <i>Ulmus crassifolia</i> may codominate and occasionally be the canopy dominant. Other canopy species include <i>Quercus marilandica, Quercus fusiformis</i>, and <i>Fraxinus albicans</i>. Without fire, <i>Juniperus ashei</i> will increase in importance and stature, eventually occupying part of the canopy with the oaks and presenting greater canopy closure. In intermediate stages, an oak canopy will overtop a subcanopy of <i>Juniperus ashei</i>. Shrubs include <i>Forestiera pubescens, Toxicodendron radicans, Rhus lanceolata, Ilex decidua, Lonicera albiflora, Sideroxylon lanuginosum, Cercis canadensis</i>, and <i>Viburnum rufidulum</i>. Woody cover can vary greatly, with some examples being very open with few shrubs and other examples with cover approaching that of a forest. Drier, rockier, or more frequently burned examples will tend to exhibit an oak woodland physiognomy. Herbaceous openings may contain <i>Schizachyrium scoparium, Aristida purpurea, Sorghastrum nutans, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua rigidiseta, Nassella leucotricha, Schedonnardus paniculatus, Carex muehlenbergii</i>, and <i>Carex planostachys</i>. Forb cover is usually low but may include <i>Vernonia baldwinii, Croton monanthogynus, Tragia ramosa, Symphyotrichum drummondii, Ruellia humilis</i>, and <i>Vernonia lindheimeri</i>. In degraded examples, the ground layer may have a high cover of the invasive grasses <i>Bothriochloa ischaemum</i> and <i>Bromus arvensis</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33019-{2761261C-58CD-482E-8BCF-FEBC5C58A6EA}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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