Name:
Schizachyrium scoparium - Sporobolus compositus - Fimbristylis puberula var. puberula Scrub Grassland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This dry blackland prairie community of the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas typically occurs on dry ridges. Examples also occur on recovering eroded areas. The vegetation is typically short (60-90 cm [2-3 feet]) and somewhat sparse, with patches of bare ground present. Dominant species include <i>Schizachyrium scoparium, Sporobolus compositus</i>, and <i>Fimbristylis puberula var. puberula</i>. Other herbaceous species include <i>Acacia angustissima, Agalinis skinneriana, Andropogon virginicus, Asclepias viridiflora, Asclepias viridis, Manfreda virginica</i> (rarely), <i>Coreopsis lanceolata, Croton capitatus, Croton monanthogynus, Dalea purpurea, Delphinium carolinianum ssp. virescens, Stenaria nigricans var. nigricans, Liatris squarrosa, Rudbeckia hirta</i> (in places large clones covering 2-3 m2 perhaps the result of heavy grazing in the past), and <i>Ruellia humilis</i>. The bare soil is often covered with blue-green algae (<i>Nostoc</i> sp.). Occasional woody species include <i>Sideroxylon lanuginosum, Diospyros virginiana, Fraxinus americana, Quercus muehlenbergii</i>, and <i>Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana</i> which occur locally during periods of fire suppression or between severe droughts. Fire and edaphic factors (drought) play a role in limiting woody vegetation distribution in this community. Soils are calcareous alkaline clays with the high shrink-swell character of the Sumter and Demopolis series over deep calcareous substrates comprising marl, chalk, or broken limestone.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35955-{CAEA3C0B-3AB2-45E3-BE2C-7A0FA0838777}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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