Name:
Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus (shumardii, stellata) / Cercis canadensis / Viburnum rufidulum Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This chinquapin oak - mixed oak forest association is found in the inner Nashville Basin of central Tennessee and related areas of the Interior Low Plateau of Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana, and in Virginia and marginally into the southern limestone/dolomite valleys of northwestern Georgia. Stands include dry to subxeric forests of flat to rolling topography. Some stands in the Shawnee Hills may have a southerly exposure with thin loess-derived soils. The vegetation is dominated by a mixture of <i>Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus falcata, Quercus shumardii</i>, and <i>Quercus stellata</i>, with <i>Quercus velutina</i> in smaller amounts. <i>Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Carya glabra</i>, and <i>Fraxinus americana</i> may also be present in the canopy, which is typically somewhat open. The relatively open subcanopy contains <i>Acer saccharum, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus quadrangulata, Ulmus alata, Ulmus serotina</i>, and <i>Celtis laevigata</i>. <i>Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Viburnum rufidulum, Frangula caroliniana, Cercis canadensis, Ostrya virginiana, Sideroxylon lycioides, Prunus americana</i>, and <i>Prunus angustifolia</i> are present as tall shrubs or small trees. Coverage of <i>Juniperus</i> in the subcanopy may be dense in some examples, but this vegetation is treated here rather than as a mixed forest. Low shrubs include <i>Rhus aromatica, Forestiera ligustrina, Viburnum rufidulum, Hypericum frondosum, Ptelea trifoliata</i>, and <i>Symphoricarpos orbiculatus</i>. Herbs present include <i>Andropogon</i> spp., <i>Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum shortii, Cheilanthes lanosa, Cunila origanoides, Diarrhena americana, Dichanthelium boscii, Galium circaezans, Heuchera americana, Monarda fistulosa, Schizachyrium scoparium, Scutellaria ovata, Solidago missouriensis, Solidago sphacelata</i>, and <i>Verbesina virginica</i>. A prominent woody vine is <i>Bignonia capreolata</i>. In Tennessee's Nashville Basin, this association is found over Ordovician limestones (Lebanon, Ridley) at about 200 m elevation. This type also includes examples from slopes above limestone cliffs, e.g., bordering the Ohio River in Harrison County (southern Indiana) and possibly adjacent Kentucky (the former CEGL005020), where <i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i> is found with <i>Fraxinus americana</i> and <i>Fraxinus quadrangulata</i>. This specific example is assumed to be compatible with ~<i>Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus (shumardii, stellata) / Cercis canadensis / Viburnum rufidulum</i> Forest (CEGL007699)$$.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35888-{7E42447C-499B-4089-99B5-96110A0D6AED}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
9
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