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CEGL007830 Quercus virginiana / Ilex vomitoria - Sabal minor / Carex cherokeensis - Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Live Oak / Yaupon - Dwarf Palmetto / Cherokee Sedge - Wax Mallow Forest
Colloquial Name: Upper Texas Coast Live Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This forest occurs along small rivers and streams within the historic coastal prairie matrix, now mostly in agriculture or pasture, occupying the Pleistocene terraces of the Beaumont, Lissie and possibly Willis formations of the upper Texas coast. It also occurs within the large bottomland hardwood system that spans the lower reaches of the Colorado, San Bernard and Brazos rivers (Columbia Bottomlands), where they traverse this historic coastal prairie matrix. Quercus virginiana is the dominant canopy tree, and other, more minor canopy components can include Ulmus crassifolia, Quercus shumardii, Carya illinoinensis, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Celtis laevigata var. laevigata. In addition to overstory components, the midstory also includes Sapindus saponaria. The understory is usually open and dominated by Ilex vomitoria and Sabal minor. Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii and Carex cherokeensis are a conspicuous part of the locally dense herbaceous layer. It is closely related to the deciduous forest type ~Ulmus crassifolia - Carya illinoinensis - Celtis laevigata / Chasmanthium sessiliflorum - Carex cherokeensis Floodplain Forest (CEGL002388)$$, with which it is often associated. When the two occur together, this Quercus virginiana-dominated type occurs in slightly better drained, more elevated situations.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is closely related to the deciduous forest type ~Ulmus crassifolia - Carya illinoinensis - Celtis laevigata / Chasmanthium sessiliflorum - Carex cherokeensis Floodplain Forest (CEGL002388)$$ which occurs in lower, wetter areas in a mosaic with this association. On upland borders this association transitions into ~Quercus virginiana - Carya illinoinensis Woodland (CEGL002154)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy is dominated by Quercus virginiana. Other canopy components may include Celtis laevigata, Carya illinoinensis, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Quercus shumardii, and Ulmus crassifolia. In addition to overstory components, the midstory also includes Sapindus saponaria. The typically open understory is often dominated by Ilex vomitoria. Other understory components may include Crataegus spp., Sabal minor, Callicarpa americana, Juniperus virginiana, and Symphoricarpos orbiculatus. Characteristic herbaceous components include Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (= Malvaviscus drummondii), Spigelia texana, Calyptocarpus vialis, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Urochloa spp., Conoclinium coelestinum, Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. setarius (= Oplismenus setarius), Verbesina virginica, and Carex cherokeensis. The epiphytes Tillandsia usneoides and Pleopeltis polypodioides ssp. michauxiana are often present.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occupies antecedent natural levee ridges and terraces that are no longer subject to regular overbank flooding, and it occurs along current natural levees and terraces within the floodplains of the Colorado, San Bernard and Brazos river systems. These forests are near the upland/wetland conceptual boundary.
Geographic Range: As currently described, this association is restricted to the floodplains of the Brazos, San Bernard and Colorado river systems.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683678
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F018 | 1.B.1 |
| Division | 1.B.1.Na Southeastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D006 | 1.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.1.Na.2 Live Oak - Texas Live Oak - Darlington Oak Forest Macrogroup | M885 | 1.B.1.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.1.Na.2.a Live Oak - Pignut Hickory - Cabbage Palmetto Coastal Forest Group | G798 | 1.B.1.Na.2.a |
| Alliance | A0374 Live Oak - Sugarberry Chenier Forest Alliance | A0374 | 1.B.1.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007830 Live Oak / Yaupon - Dwarf Palmetto / Cherokee Sedge - Wax Mallow Forest | CEGL007830 | 1.B.1.Na.2.a |
Concept Lineage: Quercus virginiana / Ilex vomitoria / Oplismenus setarius Forest (CEGL007024), an upland forest, was merge into this association, a temporarily flooded forest, because the two were perceived to differ only in their ill-defined hydrology.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- Diamond, D. D. 1993. Classification of the plant communities of Texas (series level). Unpublished document. Texas Natural Heritage Program, Austin. 25 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.