Name:
Quercus stellata / (Danthonia spicata, Croton michauxii var. ellipticus) Flatwoods Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This clay barrens community is found in the central United States in southwestern Indiana and adjacent Kentucky. Stands occur in areas with a dense, relatively impervious, argillic layer of soil at or just below the surface. This clay layer apparently impedes water percolation and subsoil recharge, resulting in droughty conditions. Plant roots may also have a difficult time penetrating the layer. It also causes temporary ponding (vernal pools) that persist long enough to influence the species composition. The best examples of this type occur in flats, where <i>Quercus stellata</i> is the dominant tree, and the barrens area range in size from 0.25-2 ha. Although the barrens occupy the highest elevational point in the stand, the trapped water forms pools that may contain <i>Eleocharis tenuis var. verrucosa, Carex annectens, Eleocharis wolfii, Ranunculus pusillus</i>, and <i>Isoetes melanopoda</i>. In July, when the site is dry and the above species have faded away, <i>Danthonia spicata</i> and <i>Schizachyrium scoparium</i> dominate the ground layer. Small annuals, such as <i>Diodia teres, Hypericum drummondii, Hypericum gentianoides</i>, and <i>Croton michauxii var. ellipticus</i>, are abundant. <i>Aristida ramosissima</i> and <i>Trichostema setaceum</i> may also be abundant. A variety of other heliophytic species are present in the barrens, including <i>Hypericum denticulatum, Krigia biflora, Liatris spicata, Dichanthelium depauperatum, Polygala sanguinea</i>, and <i>Oligoneuron rigidum</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33822-{A2478A1D-FFA9-417C-AF37-C4856EC1AC8A}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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