Name:
Fagus grandifolia - Acer floridanum - Quercus alba Forest Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This group is composed of tall (25-32 m), productive and diverse forests primarily dominated by deciduous broad-leaved trees of the inner coastal plains of the southeastern United States. They occur from near sea level to about 125 m (400 feet) in the loess hills and bluffs. Examples of this group occur in a variety of mesic fire-sheltered sites, including lower slopes, bluffs and ravines, mesic flats, and local topographic high areas within bottomland terraces or wet flats. Stands are characteristically dominated by <i>Fagus grandifolia</i> in combination with <i>Acer floridanum</i> and/or <i>Quercus alba</i>. Some stands may exhibit codominance or perhaps dominance by <i>Quercus</i> spp., but the most mesic stands may lack oaks. If <i>Quercus</i> spp. are dominant, then a suite of herbs characteristic of mesic forests will be diagnostic. <i>Quercus rubra</i> will be important only north of 35°N latitude, and <i>Pinus taeda</i> conversely of greater importance to the south. Other hardwood species include <i>Acer rubrum, Fraxinus americana, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa sylvatica, Magnolia acuminata</i> (of local distribution), and <i>Tilia americana</i>. Upland and bottomland oaks at the mid range of moisture tolerance are usually also present, particularly <i>Quercus alba</i>, but sometimes also <i>Quercus falcata, Quercus michauxii, Quercus nigra, Quercus pagoda</i>, and/or <i>Quercus shumardii</i>. <i>Pinus taeda</i> is sometimes present, but it is unclear if it is a natural component or has entered only as a result of past cutting. Some subcanopy components include <i>Carpinus caroliniana, Cornus florida, Diospyros virginiana, Ilex opaca, Magnolia macrophylla, Ostrya virginiana, Oxydendrum arboreum</i>, and <i>Ulmus alata</i>. Shrubs and woody vines include <i>Decumaria barbara, Rhododendron canescens, Smilax glauca, Toxicodendron radicans</i>, and <i>Vitis rotundifolia</i>. Important herbs include <i>Hexastylis arifolia, Mitchella repens</i>, and <i>Polystichum acrostichoides</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:39976-{C32161EF-CE8F-4E5A-8B14-0611E405E8F7}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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