Name:
Quercus rubra / Ostrya virginiana / Ptelea trifoliata - Ribes curvatum / Helianthus divaricatus Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
Stands of this association are open, short (5-10 m tall), submesic <i>Quercus rubra</i>-dominated woodlands on sharp, narrow ridges of novaculite outcroppings in the central Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas. The canopy is strongly dominated by <i>Quercus rubra</i> and <i>Carya texana</i> and can approach a forest physiognomy. Other trees that form a minor canopy component, but may be scattered throughout, include <i>Carya ovalis, Pinus echinata, Quercus alba, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus stellata</i> (can be locally dominant), and <i>Ulmus alata</i>. The understory is dominated by <i>Ostrya virginiana</i> and <i>Diospyros virginiana</i>. Other understory trees may include <i>Acer rubrum, Amelanchier arborea, Celtis tenuifolia, Cercis canadensis, Cornus florida, Crataegus marshallii, Juniperus virginiana</i>, and <i>Prunus serotina</i>. The shrub stratum has moderate cover of tall and short shrubs. <i>Ptelea trifoliata</i> is characteristic, and <i>Ribes curvatum</i> is locally dominant in rocky thickets. Other shrubs can include <i>Aesculus glabra, Frangula caroliniana, Hamamelis virginiana, Hypericum hypericoides, Rhus aromatica, Robinia pseudoacacia, Sideroxylon lanuginosum</i>, and <i>Vaccinium arboreum</i>. Common vines include <i>Parthenocissus quinquefolia</i> and <i>Vitis rotundifolia</i>. Herbaceous cover is variable (50-75%) and is a mixture of forb and graminoid species. Common herbaceous species include <i>Helianthus divaricatus</i> (can be locally dominant), <i>Muhlenbergia sobolifera</i> (can be locally dominant), <i>Ageratina altissima var. altissima, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Aristolochia serpentaria, Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, Campanulastrum americanum, Danthonia spicata, Desmodium marilandicum, Desmodium nudiflorum, Elymus hystrix, Galium arkansanum, Passiflora lutea, Lespedeza virginica, Schizachyrium scoparium, Scutellaria ovata, Solidago ulmifolia</i>, and <i>Streptanthus maculatus ssp. obtusifolius</i>. These woodlands occur over droughty, rocky soils, on narrow, relatively flat, novaculite ridgetops at 450-640 m (1476-2100 feet) elevation in the central Ouachita Mountains. They occur as linear features on multiple adjacent ridges and are interspersed with grassy openings (glades) with <i>Schizachyrium scoparium</i> and <i>Andropogon gerardii</i>, with occasional <i>Quercus stellata</i> and <i>Acer floridanum</i>. This community typically grades into vegetation dominated by <i>Pinus echinata, Quercus velutina</i>, and <i>Quercus alba</i> on southern slopes and <i>Quercus alba, Quercus rubra</i>, and <i>Quercus velutina</i> on northern slopes. The type location is in Polk County, Arkansas. Other examples are known from Montgomery and Hot Spring counties.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:36015-{731D3280-5428-4CD5-9A8F-72EB7EC95ADD}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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