Comm #809
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Liriodendron tulipifera - Acer (rubrum, negundo) - (Platanus occidentalis) / Carpinus caroliniana / Polygonum virginianum Forest
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accession code: VB.CC.37510.CEGL006492
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23
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This community occupies floodplains and terraces of medium-sized streams (large streams and small rivers) in the Piedmont of Maryland and Virginia. These floodplains are moderately extensive and subject to frequent overflow, but topographically fairly homogeneous. In these habitats, the alluvial landforms (e.g., levees, backswamps) are poorly developed or occur at very small scales. Hydrologic regime is temporarily flooded. Soils are generally alluvial silt loams and sands washed from various metamorphic and igneous rocks. This association is a closed forest with consistent overstory codominance by <i>Liriodendron tulipifera</i> in variable combinations with other trees. <i>Acer negundo, Acer rubrum</i>, or both are characteristic in the overstory or understory. <i>Platanus occidentalis</i> varies from codominant to absent. Other trees that may be important in some stands include <i>Juglans nigra, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Fraxinus americana, Carya cordiformis, Ulmus americana, Betula nigra</i>, and <i>Quercus palustris</i>. <i>Lindera benzoin, Carpinus caroliniana</i>, and, less constantly, <i>Asimina triloba</i> and/or <i>Viburnum prunifolium</i> dominate the shrub layer. Vines of <i>Toxicodendron radicans</i> and other species may occur. Relatively diverse herb layers are composed of both mesophytic and hydrophytic species. Common herbs include <i>Arisaema triphyllum, Geum canadense, Polygonum virginianum, Carex amphibola, Circaea lutetiana ssp. canadensis, Verbesina alternifolia, Carex radiata, Carex blanda, Impatiens capensis, Boehmeria cylindrica, Viola sororia</i>, and <i>Symphyotrichum lateriflorum</i>. Although less constant, <i>Elymus virginicus, Claytonia virginica</i>, and <i>Erythronium americanum</i> form dominance patches in some stands. Because land-use effects (agriculture, grazing, utility corridors in and near the floodplain, excessively frequent flooding and sediment deposition following watershed development) frequently disturb the habitat, the herb layer is often weedy and is commonly dominated by the exotic grass <i>Microstegium vimineum</i>. |
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