Name:
A.1011
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
This alliance, which occurs throughout the eastern half of the United States and southern Ontario, Canada, contains semipermanently flooded stands dominated by ~Cephalanthus occidentalis$. Stands vary from dense, tall-shrub thickets to open shrublands. Tree canopy cover may reach 25% in some stands, with tree associates including ~Acer saccharinum$ and ~Quercus palustris$ in the North to ~Taxodium distichum$ in the South. Standing water may cover the ground layer. ~Cephalanthus occidentalis$ is often the sole dominant in stands of this alliance, particularly in deeper (>0.5 m depth) zones of groundwater basins or lake borders on deep organic soils. Occasional shrub associates in the northern parts of its range include any number of ~Salix$ spp. or ~Cornus$ spp., ~Viburnum dentatum, Rosa palustris, Ilex verticillata$, and ~Vaccinium corymbosum$. Floating aquatics, such as ~Lemna$ spp., can be common in deepwater habitats, whereas a variety of forbs and graminoids are associates under less flooded conditions. These include ~Boehmeria cylindrica, Scutellaria lateriflora, Sium suave$, and ~Bidens tripartita, Glyceria$ spp., ~Leersia oryzoides, Polygonum$ spp., and a wide variety of ~Carex$ spp. ^This shrubland vegetation occupies shallow water depressions, oxbow ponds, sinkhole ponds, and backwater sloughs of stream and river floodplains throughout swampy forested areas in the eastern United States. Inundation is usually continuous throughout the year, but these sites can become dry in mid or late summer or during periods of prolonged drought. ~Cephalanthus$ appears to be very tolerant of extended periods of inundation which, by slowing canopy closure of trees and maintaining higher light levels, may favor this shrub. Soils can vary in texture from clays to sands, with organic horizons overlying these soils.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.783.A1011
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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