Name:
Quercus macrocarpa - Quercus alba Wooded Grassland Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This open woodland (or savanna) type is found in the midwestern United States and southern Canada, and is characterized by a dry-mesic and mesic tallgrass prairie understory and open oak canopy. Canopy cover typically varies from 10-25%. <i>Quercus macrocarpa</i> is a common tree throughout the range of this alliance. <i>Populus tremuloides</i> (in the northern portion of this alliance's range), <i>Quercus alba, Quercus bicolor</i>, and <i>Quercus stellata</i> can be found in some stands. The total tree canopy cover may exceed 30%. The dominant herbaceous species are graminoids <i>Andropogon gerardii, Hesperostipa spartea, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans</i>, and <i>Sporobolus heterolepis</i>. Other typical species include <i>Amorpha canescens, Antennaria</i> spp., <i>Calamagrostis canadensis</i> (in moist stands), <i>Carex</i> spp., <i>Lespedeza capitata, Ratibida pinnata, Silphium laciniatum</i>, and <i>Zizia aurea</i>. The shrub layer can be absent to prominent. Where shrubs are present, <i>Corylus</i> spp. tend to be dominant, accompanied by species such as <i>Cornus foemina, Rosa</i> spp., <i>Rubus allegheniensis</i>, and <i>Symphoricarpos occidentalis</i> (in the west). This type is typically found on rolling outwash plains, hills, and ridges, as well as lakeplains near the Great Lakes. Most soils are sandy to loamy. Some, especially near the Great Lakes, can be on clay loam. Stands typically require periodic fire.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38543-{E4E10ED0-CD94-40D7-BB59-0665DF681422}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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