Print Report
CEGL007879 Juglans nigra / Verbesina alternifolia Ruderal Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Black Walnut / Wingstem Ruderal Forest
Colloquial Name: Ruderal Black Walnut Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This Ruderal Black Walnut Forest of the eastern United States occurs in a variety of habitats, all associated with disturbance, and frequently associated with rich or circumneutral soils, usually having a neutral to basic pH. These habitats include ridgetops, slopes, floodplains, alluvial terraces, and the floors of sinkholes. These are all generally areas that were cleared for agriculture or homesites. It has been documented from various-sized drainages. The community was originally defined from former homesites in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where this association is an open, successional forest. It has since been found on some old pasture sites, associated with former settlements, from Georgia northeast to Pennsylvania, and is potentially a wide-ranging type. It has also been sampled from the floors of sinkholes and other related areas at Mammoth Cave National Park. The canopy can be closed to somewhat open. Juglans nigra forms at least half of the canopy and is often the sole canopy tree. Associated canopy trees vary from site to site and can include Liriodendron tulipifera, Juglans cinerea, Robinia pseudoacacia, Fraxinus americana, Ulmus americana, Platanus occidentalis, Acer saccharum, Acer nigrum, Morus rubra, and Aesculus flava. Additional tree species in the subcanopy can include Carya cordiformis and Celtis occidentalis. Sassafras albidum and/or Carpinus caroliniana may be present as small trees. The shrub layer may or may not be well-developed; common species include Asimina triloba, Viburnum prunifolium, Lindera benzoin, Corylus americana, and the exotic invasive Rosa multiflora. The herb layer is variable, often with one or a few species providing most of the cover. Verbesina alternifolia (within its range) and Ageratina altissima are characteristic and may be dominant; other herbs include Ambrosia trifida, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Agrimonia pubescens, Apios americana, Cryptotaenia canadensis, Galium triflorum, Osmorhiza longistylis, Dichanthelium clandestinum, Packera aurea, Polygonum virginianum, Rudbeckia laciniata, Podophyllum peltatum, Impatiens capensis, Circaea lutetiana ssp. canadensis, Viola striata, and Ambrosia trifida. The invasive exotics Microstegium vimineum, Alliaria petiolata, Rosa multiflora, and Polygonum cespitosum can be common in this community.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association was originally described from Great Smoky Mountains National Park where this association can be distinguished with aerial photography.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy can be closed to somewhat open. Juglans nigra forms at least half of the canopy and is often the sole canopy tree. Associated canopy trees vary from site to site and can include Liriodendron tulipifera, Juglans cinerea, Robinia pseudoacacia, Fraxinus americana, Ulmus americana, Platanus occidentalis, Acer saccharum, Acer nigrum, Morus rubra, and Aesculus flava. Additional tree species in the subcanopy can include Carya cordiformis and Celtis occidentalis. Sassafras albidum and/or Carpinus caroliniana may be present as small trees. The shrub layer may or may not be well-developed; common species include Asimina triloba, Viburnum prunifolium, Lindera benzoin, Corylus americana, and the exotic invasive Rosa multiflora. The herb layer is variable, often with one or a few species providing most of the cover. Verbesina alternifolia (within its range) and Ageratina altissima are characteristic and may be dominant; other herbs include Amphicarpaea bracteata, Agrimonia pubescens, Apios americana, Cryptotaenia canadensis, Galium triflorum, Osmorhiza longistylis, Dichanthelium clandestinum, Packera aurea, Polygonum virginianum, Rudbeckia laciniata, Podophyllum peltatum, Impatiens capensis, Circaea lutetiana ssp. canadensis, Viola striata, and Ambrosia trifida. The invasive exotics Microstegium vimineum, Alliaria petiolata, and Polygonum cespitosum can be common in this community.
Dynamics: Since this community is the product of an anthropogenic catastrophic disturbance, the canopy is likely to change drastically as new species of trees colonize gaps left by senescent walnuts. Juglans nigra may obtain canopy dominance it is resistant to grazing pressure on young seedlings due to the unpalatable juglone present in the leaves and stems. This allelopathic compound also inhibits the growth of Rubus argutus, Rubus allegheniensis, and other related species (blackberries), which would help keep the shrub layer open and reduce species diversity.
Environmental Description: This successional community occurs in a variety of habitats, all associated with disturbance, and frequently associated with rich or circumneutral soils. These habitats include ridgetops, slopes, floodplains, alluvial terraces, and the floors of sinkholes. These are all generally areas that were cleared for agriculture or homesites. It has been sampled on former homesites along streams at 460-610 m (1500-2000 feet) elevation in the Smokies, as well as on ridgetops, slopes, and stream areas in the Cumberlands, Alleghenies, and Central Appalachians at 430-1070 m (1400-3500 feet). In addition, the association was sampled from the Piedmont of South Carolina in low-lying, poor-drainage areas from approximately 170-200 m (550-650 feet) in elevation. At Mammoth Cave National Park, it was most frequently sampled from terraces in the bottoms of sinkholes. Along the Delaware River and nearby waters, the substrate varies from silt loam to gravelly sandy loams.
Geographic Range: This association is currently known from Georgia and the Carolinas to Tennessee and Kentucky, north to Pennsylvania and New Jersey where Juglans nigra is near the northern end of its range. It may range into adjacent states.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA, KY, MD, NC, NJ, NY?, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683781
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.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.90 Black Locust - Tuliptree - Norway Maple Ruderal Forest Macrogroup | M013 | 1.B.2.Na.90 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.90.a Eastern Red-cedar - Tuliptree / Tatarian Honeysuckle Ruderal Forest Group | G030 | 1.B.2.Na.90.a |
| Alliance | A3228 Tuliptree - Black Walnut - Black Locust Ruderal Forest Alliance | A3228 | 1.B.2.Na.90.a |
| Association | CEGL007879 Black Walnut / Wingstem Ruderal Forest | CEGL007879 | 1.B.2.Na.90.a |
Concept Lineage: CEGL006449 merged into CEGL007879.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Juglans nigra - Robinia pseudoacacia / Lonicera japonica / Verbesina alternifolia Association (Rawinski et al. 1996)
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- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
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