Name:
Pinus echinata - Quercus alba - Quercus rubra / Vaccinium arboreum / Chasmanthium sessiliflorum Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This upland, subxeric to submesic shortleaf pine - oak forest community is the matrix forest community of the Ouachita Mountains and surrounding areas, ranging from eastern Oklahoma to western Arkansas and southern Missouri. Stands occur on upper to middle, south-facing slopes, saddles, and flatter ridgelines. Soils are shallow to deep (25-100 cm). Parent material is a variety of sandstone and mixed sandstone-shale-derived substrates, or, in parts of the Missouri Ozarks, chert substrates. The canopy is dominated by <i>Pinus echinata</i> codominating with <i>Quercus alba, Quercus rubra</i>, or <i>Quercus velutina</i>, either singly or in combination. Shortleaf pine often forms an emergent canopy over the oaks. <i>Carya texana</i> or <i>Cornus florida</i> are typical subcanopy components. Other trees in the canopy and subcanopy can include <i>Acer rubrum, Amelanchier arborea, Carya tomentosa, Nyssa sylvatica, Ostrya virginiana, Quercus falcata</i>, and <i>Quercus stellata</i>. There is little understory, and the shrub layer is typically open with <i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> common as a low shrub and <i>Vaccinium arboreum</i> as a locally abundant tall shrub. Other species in the shrub stratum vary among occurrences but can include <i>Callicarpa americana, Lyonia ligustrina, Morus rubra, Sassafras albidum, Styrax americanus</i>, and <i>Ulmus alata</i>, and the vines <i>Smilax glauca, Smilax bona-nox, Smilax rotundifolia, Toxicodendron radicans</i>, and <i>Vitis rotundifolia</i>. The density of the herbaceous stratum varies with age of the stand and disturbance history but increases with fire. Composition of the herbaceous stratum in these forests can be quite diverse but tends to vary among occurrences. Most examples of this association exist with sparse shrub and herb strata and ground cover dominated by leaf litter. Typical herbaceous species include <i>Antennaria parlinii, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum anomalum, Symphyotrichum patens, Brachyelytrum erectum, Chasmanthium latifolium, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Danthonia spicata, Desmodium glabellum, Desmodium laevigatum, Desmodium nudiflorum, Desmodium rotundifolium, Dichanthelium linearifolium, Dichanthelium boscii, Dichanthelium commutatum, Helianthus divaricatus, Helianthus hirsutus, Helianthus x laetiflorus, Hieracium gronovii, Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Schizachyrium scoparium, Solidago hispida, Solidago odora, Solidago ulmifolia</i>, and <i>Viola pedata</i>. Fire increases coverage by grasses (<i>Schizachyrium scoparium</i> and <i>Andropogon gyrans</i>) and legumes. Although this is one of the most widespread forest types in the region, high quality, mature examples are uncommon. Mature, fire-suppressed examples loose the shortleaf pine and fire-tolerant species and show increases in stem density and fire-intolerant species. Mature, fire-maintained examples are extremely rare. Much of this forest community is managed to maintain specific tree densities and overstory composition.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35699-{B10E57AC-F210-484F-B1D0-DCF9BE6CBBB0}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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