Print Report
CEGL002134 Quercus alba - (Carya ovata) / Carex pensylvanica Glaciated Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Oak - (Shagbark Hickory) / Pennsylvania Sedge Glaciated Woodland
Colloquial Name: Central Midwest White Oak - Mixed Oak Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This white oak - mixed oak - hickory woodland type is found in the central tallgrass region of the United States. Stands occur on gentle upper and midslopes of hills, ridges and plains, on a variety of aspects or on flatland. Soils are well-drained, moderately deep to deep (>100 cm). The parent material is primarily loess, glacial till, gravel, or deeply weathered bedrock. The tree canopy is moderately tall (20-25 m), somewhat open-grown with low tree densities and somewhat spreading canopies. Canopy cover is 30-80%, but varies with fire regime. The woody sapling layer is variable, typically absent or scattered, but increasing in the absence of fire. Dominant trees include Quercus alba, Carya ovata, Carya ovalis, Carya tomentosa, Quercus rubra, and Quercus velutina. Shrubs and saplings may include Cornus foemina, Corylus americana, Crataegus spp., Malus ioensis, and Rhus aromatica, and, in the absence of fire, Amelanchier arborea, Cornus florida, Ostrya virginiana, Viburnum prunifolium, Viburnum rufidulum, and Viburnum rafinesqueanum. The ground layer is a mix of graminoids and forbs. Typical graminoid dominants may include Andropogon gerardii and Carex pensylvanica in more open areas, and Bromus kalmii, Elymus virginicus, Festuca subverticillata, Elymus hystrix, Dichanthelium oligosanthes, Dichanthelium boscii, and Chasmanthium latifolium in woodland areas. Common herbs include Amphicarpaea bracteata, Asclepias purpurascens, Symphyotrichum drummondii, Echinacea purpurea, Helianthus hirsutus, Helianthus strumosus, Lespedeza violacea, Penstemon digitalis, Sanicula canadensis, Sanicula odorata, Solidago ulmifolia, Veronicastrum virginicum, and others.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: In the absence of burning this type may succeed to ~Quercus alba - (Quercus velutina) - Carya ovata / Ostrya virginiana Forest (CEGL002011)$$. This forested stage has been described by Paul Nelson (M. Leahy pers. comm. 1999). Type is more closed-canopy than the central oak openings, ~Quercus macrocarpa - (Quercus alba, Quercus velutina) / Andropogon gerardii Wooded Grassland (CEGL002020)$$, but its rangewide limits are not well understood. Its range should not overlap with that of ~Quercus alba - Quercus macrocarpa - Quercus rubra / Corylus americana Woodland (CEGL002142)$$ to the north. Küchler''s prairie-forest mosaic in southern Iowa, central Illinois and northern and western Missouri may have contained more such woodland communities and fewer oak openings and barrens compared to areas further north in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The "streamside groves" described by McClain et al. (1998b), described as being associated with mesic valleys and terraces of streams and rivers, also fit the woodland type described here.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The tree canopy is moderately tall (20-25 m), somewhat open-grown with low tree densities and somewhat spreading canopies. Canopy cover is 30-80%, but varies with fire regime. The woody sapling layer is variable, typically absent or scattered, but increasing in the absence of fire. Dominant trees include Quercus alba, Carya ovata, Carya ovalis, Carya tomentosa, Quercus rubra, and Quercus velutina. Shrubs and saplings may include Cornus foemina, Corylus americana, Crataegus spp., Malus ioensis, and Rhus aromatica, and, in the absence of fire, Amelanchier arborea, Cornus florida, Ostrya virginiana, Viburnum prunifolium, Viburnum rufidulum, and Viburnum rafinesqueanum. The ground layer is a mix of graminoids and forbs. Typical graminoid dominants may include Andropogon gerardii and Carex pensylvanica in more open areas, and Bromus kalmii (= Bromus purgans), Elymus virginicus, Festuca subverticillata (= Festuca obtusa), Elymus hystrix (= Hystrix patula), Dichanthelium oligosanthes (= Panicum oligosanthes), Dichanthelium boscii (= Panicum boscii), and Chasmanthium latifolium (= Uniola latifolia) in woodland areas. Common herbs include Amphicarpaea bracteata, Asclepias purpurascens, Symphyotrichum drummondii (= Aster drummondii), Echinacea purpurea, Helianthus hirsutus, Helianthus strumosus, Lespedeza violacea, Penstemon digitalis, Sanicula canadensis, Sanicula odorata (= Sanicula gregaria), Solidago ulmifolia, Veronicastrum virginicum, and others (Nelson 1985, M. Leahy pers. comm. 1999).
Dynamics: Fires were an important influence on this community, maintaining its open character and preventing shrubby and mesophytic trees from invading. Other disturbances include windstorms, icestorms, and grazing (historically by bison and elk) (Nelson 1985, M. Leahy pers. comm. 1999). Stands in Illinois, described as "streamside groves" typically had a combination of thin-barked and thick-barked tree species, suggesting that fires were infrequent.
Environmental Description: Stands occur on gentle upper and midslopes of hills, ridges and plains, on a variety of aspects, or on flatland. Soils are well-drained, moderately deep to deep (>100 cm). The parent material is primarily loess, glacial till, gravel, or deeply weathered bedrock (Nelson 1985, M. Leahy pers. comm. 1999).
Geographic Range: This oak woodland type is found in the central tallgrass region of the United States, particularly in northern Missouri, southern Iowa, and perhaps central Illinois.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: IA, IL, MO
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684146
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1Q
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.4 White Oak - Bur Oak - Shagbark Hickory Forest, Woodland & Savanna Macrogroup | M012 | 1.B.2.Na.4 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.4.b North-Central Oak - Hickory Forest & Woodland Group | G649 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A3324 White Oak - Bur Oak - Swamp White Oak Woodland Alliance | A3324 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Association | CEGL002134 White Oak - (Shagbark Hickory) / Pennsylvania Sedge Glaciated Woodland | CEGL002134 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus alba - (Carya ovata) / Carex pensylvanica Glaciated Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- 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.).
- INAI [Iowa Natural Areas Inventory]. 2017. Vegetation classification of Iowa. Iowa Natural Areas Inventory, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines.
- Leahy, Mike. Personal communication. Missouri Natural Heritage Database, Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City.
- McClain, W. E., V. LaGesse, R. Larimore, and J. Ebinger. 1998. Black soil prairie groves of the Headwaters region of east-central Illinois. Transactions of the Illinois Academy of Science 86:129-135.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Nelson, P. 2010. The terrestrial natural communities of Missouri. Revised edition. Missouri Natural Areas Committee, Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Conservation, Jefferson City.
- Nelson, P. W. 1985. The terrestrial natural communities of Missouri. Missouri Natural Areas Committee, Jefferson City. 197 pp. Revised edition, 1987.
- 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.