Print Report
CEGL007445 Acer rubrum var. trilobum - (Nyssa biflora) / Clethra alnifolia - (Persea palustris) Ruderal Wet Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Carolina Red Maple - (Swamp Tupelo) / Coastal Sweet-pepperbush - (Swamp Bay) Ruderal Wet Forest
Colloquial Name: Ruderal Carolina Red Maple - Swamp Tupelo / Swamp Bay Wet Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: Forests of this association are often dominated by Acer rubrum var. trilobum or Acer rubrum var. rubrum but may be codominated by Nyssa biflora. Other canopy components may include Pinus serotina, Pinus taeda, and Chamaecyparis thyoides on organic soils. The understory is dominated by pocosin shrubs, including Clethra alnifolia, Lyonia lucida, Ilex glabra, Ilex coriacea, and Persea palustris which may form a continuous layer in some occurrences. A tangle of vines, including Smilax rotundifolia, Smilax laurifolia, Toxicodendron radicans, Decumaria barbara, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, and Vitis rotundifolia, are often present. This community occurs on extensive peat flats in the "tidewater" Coastal Plain of North Carolina and Virginia. In Maryland, this community type is known from saturated peatlands associated with headwater basin swamps and an ancient oxbow swamp on the Maryland Coastal Plain. It is apparently the result of logging of Chamaecyparis thyoides (and other peatland) forests, followed by fire suppression.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The floristics of this association have been clarified to be dominated by Acer rubrum var. trilobum or Acer rubrum var. rubrum and codominated by Nyssa biflora. The understory is dominated by evergreen shrubs and, in some cases, solely by Persea palustris. Herbaceous layer is sparse, but what is present is dominated by ferns. As redefined, this type is the most common vegetation in the Virginia portion of the Great Dismal Swamp NWR (G.P. Fleming pers. comm. 2004). It is also known from Hickory Point Cypress Swamp (Pocomoke River watershed) in Maryland where Chamaecyparis thyoides was heavily logged in the 1950s and 1960s. Hickory Point Cypress Swamp is an ancient oxbow swamp of the Pocomoke River and currently the only extant occurrence of Persea palustris in Maryland.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: These forests are codominated by Nyssa biflora, Acer rubrum var. trilobum, and Persea palustris, sometimes apparently resulting from logging of Chamaecyparis thyoides (and other peatland) forests, followed by fire suppression. In Maryland, this vegetation is dominated by Acer rubrum var. rubrum but may occasionally include Nyssa biflora, Pinus serotina, Pinus taeda, and Chamaecyparis thyoides in variable proportions in the canopy. Shrub diversity is moderate and is strongly characterized by Clethra alnifolia which can sometimes form dense thickets. The herbaceous layer is poorly developed and best characterized as an occasional Osmunda cinnamomea and Woodwardia areolata. Bryophytes are typically high in cover with Sphagnum recurvum and Sphagnum palustre reported as dominating some Maryland stands. Compositional summary stats calculated from 9 sample plots in Maryland indicate a mean species richness of 17 taxa per 400 m2. The most constant species are Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Clethra alnifolia, Magnolia virginiana, Vaccinium corymbosum, Rhododendron viscosum, Chamaecyparis thyoides, Sphagnum recurvum, Smilax laurifolia, Woodwardia virginica, Ilex opaca, and Osmunda cinnamomea. Persea palustris is not present in all Maryland stands, but it is frequent and locally abundant at Hickory Point Cypress Swamp. (J. Harrison pers. comm. 2012).
Dynamics: These forests sometimes apparently result from logging and hydrologic modifications of Chamaecyparis thyoides and other peatland forests (e.g., ~Chamaecyparis thyoides / Persea palustris / Lyonia lucida - Ilex coriacea Swamp Forest (CEGL006146)$$; ~Taxodium distichum - Nyssa biflora / Berchemia scandens - Toxicodendron radicans / Woodwardia areolata Swamp Forest (CEGL004429)$$), followed by fire suppression (G.P. Fleming pers. comm., M.P. Schafale pers. comm.).
Environmental Description: These forests are found on extensive peat flats in the Coastal Plain in Virginia and the Carolinas, sometimes apparently resulting from logging of Chamaecyparis thyoides (and other peatland) forests, followed by fire suppression.
Geographic Range: This forest is found in the Coastal Plain of Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MD, NC, SC?, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683613
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNA
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Nb Southeastern North American Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D062 | 1.B.3.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nb.90 Red Maple - Tuliptree - Sugarberry Ruderal Flooded & Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M310 | 1.B.3.Nb.90 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Nb.90.a Red Maple - Loblolly Pine - Sweetgum Ruderal Flooded & Swamp Forest Group | G553 | 1.B.3.Nb.90.a |
| Alliance | A3343 Red Maple - Tuliptree Ruderal Flooded & Swamp Forest Alliance | A3343 | 1.B.3.Nb.90.a |
| Association | CEGL007445 Carolina Red Maple - (Swamp Tupelo) / Coastal Sweet-pepperbush - (Swamp Bay) Ruderal Wet Forest | CEGL007445 | 1.B.3.Nb.90.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acer rubrum - Nyssa biflora / (Persea palustris) Seasonally Flooded Forest [Provisional] (Fleming and Moorhead 1998)
- Fleming, G. P., and W. H. Moorhead, III. 1998. Comparative wetlands ecology study of the Great Dismal Swamp, Northwest River, and North Landing River in Virginia. Natural Heritage Technical Report 98-9. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond. Unpublished report submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 181 pp. plus appendices.
- Fleming, Gary P. Personal communication. Ecologist, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA.
- Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. No date. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Schafale, Mike P. Personal communication. Ecologist, North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.