Name:
Morella cerifera - Uniola paniculata - Schizachyrium littorale Dune & Grassland Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This group encompasses vegetation of sandy coastlines and barrier islands, ranging from northernmost North Carolina south along the Atlantic Coast and around the coast of the Gulf of Mexico to Texas. A range of physiognomies may be present, from somewhat sparse herbaceous dune vegetation with <i>Uniola paniculata</i> diagnostic, to backdune shrublands and shrub-herb patchworks, non-tidal maritime grasslands, and temporarily flooded interdunal swales. Characteristic species of the dunes include <i>Uniola paniculata</i> and <i>Panicum amarum</i> on the foredunes, and <i>Spartina patens</i> and <i>Schizachyrium littorale</i> on the older dunes and sand flats. <i>Iva imbricata</i> is a characteristic shrub. On the northern Gulf Coast, this group includes a number of diagnostic and endemic plant species, including <i>Ceratiola ericoides, Chrysoma pauciflosculosa, Schizachyrium maritimum, Paronychia erecta</i>, and <i>Helianthemum arenicola</i>. On the western Gulf Coast, this group includes vegetation of eolian deposits of the South Texas Sand Sheet, with ridges dominated by <i>Schizachyrium littorale</i> and a mixture of forbs, and swales dominated by <i>Paspalum monostachyum, Andropogon gerardii, Muhlenbergia capillaris</i>, and <i>Sorghastrum nutans</i>. Dominant ecological processes are those associated with the maritime environment, including frequent salt spray, saltwater overwash, and sand movement, that can be severe enough to limit tree growth. The environment of this group is highly dynamic. Reworking of sand by storms or by slower eolian processes may completely change the local environment in a short time, and portions of the group may occupy sites fairly early in the process of primary succession.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40129-{0B789AB9-9854-45CE-9067-202FED5264B7}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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