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CEGL005073 Corylus americana - Malus ioensis - Ceanothus americanus Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: American Hazelnut - Prairie Crabapple - New Jersey-tea Shrubland
Colloquial Name: Hazelnut - Prairie Crabapple Loam Shrubland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shrubland community is found in the central tallgrass prairie region of the midwestern United States. Stands occur on well-drained uplands found on glacial moraines, kame complexes, and outwash plains. Soils are fine-textured silt-loams. Stands are maintained by fires. Shrubs dominate the canopy, forming copses of Ceanothus americanus, Corylus americana, Prunus americana, Malus ioensis, Quercus ellipsoidalis, Quercus macrocarpa, and Salix humilis. The dominant grass was Schizachyrium scoparium, with Danthonia spicata also present. Typical forbs include Apocynum androsaemifolium, Helianthus divaricatus, Lathyrus venosus, and Polygala senega. Few stands of this type remain, making further characterization difficult.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type concept is taken from the Illinois state type Shrub Prairie (White and Madany 1978), and represents the mesic mineral soil type. It probably occurred elsewhere in Indiana and Iowa. Many prairie remnants contain patchy shrub prairie, but it is not clear if these have increased due to fire suppression. Few extensive prairie landscapes remain today, making it difficult to characterize this type. Potential indicator species for this type, as compared to dry sand prairies, include Camassia scilloides, Ceanothus americanus, Corylus americana, Helianthus hirsutus, Helianthus divaricatus, Orbexilum onobrychis, Rosa carolina, Rhus glabra, Silene stellata, and Smilax lasioneura (Bowles and McBride 1996). Bowles and McBride (1994) show from the early survey records that this type, even though on rich, productive soil, was referred to as "barrens" because the frequent fire had reduced the trees to grubs and favored a shrub/scrub layer.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Shrubs dominate the canopy, forming copses of Ceanothus americanus, Corylus americana, Prunus americana, Malus ioensis (= Pyrus ioensis), Quercus ellipsoidalis, Quercus macrocarpa, and Salix humilis. The dominant grass is Schizachyrium scoparium, with Danthonia spicata also present. Typical forbs include Apocynum androsaemifolium, Helianthus divaricatus, Lathyrus venosus, and Polygala senega (Steffen and Anderson 1997).
Dynamics: Stands are maintained by fires, particularly during droughts, when fires could burn into adjacent woodlands, killing the canopy trees, and reducing them to grubs. The shrubland structure was favored in landscape positions where fire frequencies were reduced from that in prairies, as on the leeward side of wetlands or at a woodland/savanna edge. As a result of variability in fire intensity and frequency, this type could occur in a matrix of prairie, savanna and woodlands (Bowles and McBride 1994).
Environmental Description: Stands occur on well-drained uplands found on glacial moraines, kame complexes, and outwash plains. They are maintained by fires.
Geographic Range: This shrubland community is found in the central tallgrass prairie region of the midwestern United States, where it is currently described in Illinois.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: IL
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684115
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1Q
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D023 | 2.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nb.1 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Dense Blazingstar Tallgrass Prairie Macrogroup | M054 | 2.B.2.Nb.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Porcupine Grass Tallgrass Prairie Group | G333 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A4208 American Hazelnut - Prairie Crabapple - New Jersey-tea Central Shrubland Alliance | A4208 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Association | CEGL005073 American Hazelnut - Prairie Crabapple - New Jersey-tea Shrubland | CEGL005073 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Corylus americana - Malus ioensis - Ceanothus americanus Shrubland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Fine-textured-soil Shrubland, Dry-mesic (Steffen and Anderson 1997)
< Shrub Prairie (White and Madany 1978)
= Shrub brush prairie (Bowles and McBride 1996)
= Fine-textured-soil Shrubland, Dry-mesic (Steffen and Anderson 1997)
< Shrub Prairie (White and Madany 1978)
= Shrub brush prairie (Bowles and McBride 1996)
- Bowles, M. L., and J. L. McBride. 1994. Presettlement barrens in the glaciated prairie region of Illinois. Submitted to the North American Conference on Savannas and Barrens, 1994, Illinois State University.
- Bowles, M., and J. McBride. 1995. Results of a survey for savanna and woodland natural communities in northern Illinois. Unpublished draft paper. 17 pp.
- Bowles, M., and J. McBride. 1996. Evaluation and classification of savanna, woodland, and barrens natural areas in northern Illinois. Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. 21 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Steffen, J., and J. Anderson. 1997. Chicago Wilderness community classification system (draft). Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Council, Chicago, IL.
- White, J., and M. Madany. 1978. Classification of natural communities in Illinois. Pages 311-405 in: Natural Areas Inventory technical report: Volume I, survey methods and results. Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, Urbana, IL.