Name:
Quercus muehlenbergii - Juniperus virginiana / Schizachyrium scoparium - Manfreda virginica Wooded Grassland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This limestone glade or barrens community is found in the central and eastern United States. Stands occur on gentle to steep slopes of hills, knobs, ridges, bluffs along streams, and broad terraces. Aspect is variable, but this vegetation is generally best developed on southern and western exposures. Parent material is limestone, cherty limestone, dolomite, or calcareous shale which is exposed at the surface, resulting in a very shallow, well-drained substrate. Soils are neutral to alkaline, shallow to moderately deep, and contain a homogenous mixture of rock fragments of various sizes. Herbaceous cover is very uneven, ranging from very dense in some areas to absent in others. Some dominant or characteristic grasses include <i>Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, Aristida</i> spp., and <i>Sporobolus compositus</i>. In deeper soil areas <i>Andropogon gerardii</i> may be present. At some sites <i>Bouteloua curtipendula</i> is present, but it may be rare or absent at others. Forbs vary in dominance by site. <i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i> and <i>Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana</i> can form a sparse canopy. <i>Quercus stellata</i> may be common in parts of the range. Other scattered trees which may be present include <i>Cercis canadensis, Fraxinus quadrangulata, Quercus velutina, Quercus alba, Quercus marilandica</i>, and <i>Liriodendron tulipifera</i>. The subcanopy is absent or very sparse. Commonly encountered shrubs include <i>Celtis tenuifolia, Cornus florida, Ulmus alata, Rhus aromatica, Rhus copallinum</i>, and <i>Symphoricarpos orbiculatus</i>. This vegetation may exist as more extensive areas, or in some southeastern cases, it may be limited to a more narrow zone between vegetation dominated by woody plants and that dominated by annual grasses.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33896-{244C6608-9D4B-4A70-9C44-CEA33AC6612B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
11
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