Name:
Liquidambar styraciflua - Quercus michauxii / Acer rubrum / Packera glabella - Carex tribuloides Wet Ravine Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This saturated forest community occurs along the flat, rich, lower ravines and the base of slopes on the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas. The soils are rich, calcareous, and usually nearly saturated and seepy. The forest canopy is tall (over 30 m [100 feet]) with large diameter trees (many over 1 m [3 feet]). The canopy is closed, but tree fall gaps are common, likely due to the nearly saturated soils. All forest layers are well developed with diverse midstory, shrub, and herbaceous strata. The overstory is dominated by <i>Liquidambar styraciflua</i> with <i>Platanus occidentalis</i> and <i>Quercus michauxii</i>. Other overstory species may include <i>Quercus nigra, Quercus pagoda, Quercus phellos</i>, and <i>Ulmus americana</i>. The midstory is dominated by <i>Acer negundo</i> and <i>Acer rubrum var. drummondii</i> with <i>Carpinus caroliniana, Celtis laevigata, Ilex opaca, Salix nigra</i>, and saplings of overstory trees. Shrub species include <i>Arundinaria gigantea, Lindera benzoin, Rhododendron canescens, Sabal minor</i>, and <i>Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis</i>. Woody vines include <i>Berchemia scandens, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Smilax bona-nox</i>, and <i>Toxicodendron radicans</i>. The herbaceous layer is dense, and dominance changes with slight alterations in topography. Common herbaceous species include <i>Arisaema triphyllum, Carex crinita, Carex tribuloides, Chasmanthium latifolium, Juncus effusus, Leersia oryzoides, Leersia virginica, Packera glabella, Packera obovata, Salvia lyrata, Sanicula canadensis</i>, and <i>Saururus cernuus</i>. Other herbaceous species may include <i>Arisaema dracontium, Symphyotrichum lanceolatum, Bignonia capreolata, Boehmeria cylindrica, Campsis radicans, Carex blanda, Carex intumescens, Carex glaucodea, Carex grayi, Geum canadense, Clematis</i> sp., <i>Cypripedium kentuckiense, Dicliptera brachiata, Erigeron</i> sp. (<i>Erigeron philadelphicus, Erigeron quercifolius</i>), <i>Euonymus americanus, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Lobelia cardinalis, Panicum</i> sp., <i>Passiflora lutea, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, Pluchea camphorata, Polygonum</i> sp., <i>Pleopeltis polypodioides ssp. michauxiana, Polystichum acrostichoides</i>, and <i>Ranunculus abortivus</i>. The soils are alluvial clays and fine sandy loams created from erosion off the upland blackland ecosystem. The soils are moist to wet throughout the year, and large treefall gaps are a regular occurrence. Fire will creep through this community in dry years. In non-ravine areas much of this plant community has been converted to agriculture or was previously farmed (cotton) and is now abandoned. This community is typically bordered by ~<i>Quercus muehlenbergii - Liquidambar styraciflua / (Arundinaria gigantea) / Carex cherokeensis - Chasmanthium latifolium</i> Mesic Riparian Forest (CEGL007780)$$ upstream and/or ~<i>Quercus alba - Quercus rubra / Ostrya virginiana / Arundinaria gigantea / Cynoglossum virginianum</i> Forest (CEGL007971)$$. The highest quality example is at Nacatoch Ravines Natural Area and adjacent hunt club lands. The type locality is in Hempstead County, Arkansas. Other examples may occur in Clark, Howard, Little River, and Sevier counties, Arkansas.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:36509-{1E6E3F77-3ABC-496B-8B2C-FD725E153C26}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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