Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Oak - Post Oak - Black Oak / Flowering Dogwood / Big Bluestem Woodland

Colloquial Name: Western Allegheny Oak Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This formerly open white oak woodland occurs in remnant and degraded patches in the Western Allegheny Plateau and is now extremely rare. Historically this appears to have been the dominant community type found in the larger preglacial Teays River valleys in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. The vegetation was described as open and park-like with a well-developed herbaceous layer composed of a dry-mesic prairie association. It occurred on the slightly drier slopes and on well-drained level land underlain by lacustrine clays (Minford silts). Soils are subject to severe-moderate woody seedling mortality and windthrow of large trees. During dry periods, the hardened clays stop the movement by capillary action of water from deeper, wetter subsoil to near the surface. This results in droughty soils in the summer and autumn. The hardened clays (along with saturated soil conditions at other times) also restrict the downward growth of plant roots and hinders activity by burrowing animals. Species dominance ranged from pure stands of Quercus alba to Quercus alba and Quercus velutina to Quercus alba and Carya ovata. The community appears to have existed more as an open woodland than a forest. The timber was often of poor stature with incomplete canopy cover. Additional canopy species probably included Carya ovalis, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus stellata, and Quercus imbricaria. The understory was dominated by Cornus florida. Also common was Lindera benzoin, Corylus americana, Crataegus spp., and Malus coronaria. The understory was frequently open, and apparently extensive barrens were present. The herbaceous layer was dominated by Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans. Additional species included Asclepias hirtella, Euphorbia corollata, Helianthus giganteus, Helianthus mollis, Lespedeza capitata, Oenothera fruticosa, Penstemon digitalis, Solidago nemoralis, and Viola sagittata. Degraded remnants are often dominated by Pinus virginiana, with widely scattered Pinus rigida, Quercus alba, Quercus imbricaria, Quercus stellata, and Quercus velutina in a discontinuous canopy. Shrub species include Cornus florida, Hypericum prolificum, Spiraea tomentosa, and Rhus copallinum. Danthonia spicata is a dominant herb. Other herbaceous associates may also include Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon virginicus, Aristida oligantha, Aristida dichotoma, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Desmodium ciliare, Polygala sanguinea, Scutellaria integrifolia, Hypericum drummondii, and Euthamia graminifolia.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Original land surveys also indicate pure stands of Carya ovata occurring in wet or swampy flats with what may have been a sedge-dominated understory. These sites may represent a separate but somewhat related community type within the Teays River valleys (possibly also extirpated).

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available