Print Report
CEGL004741 Acer saccharum - Carya ovata - Juglans nigra / Symphoricarpos orbiculatus / Galium circaezans Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sugar Maple - Shagbark Hickory - Black Walnut / Coralberry / Licorice Bedstraw Forest
Colloquial Name: Interior Low Plateau Mesic Sugar Maple - Hickory Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association represents mesic forests over limestone in portions of the unglaciated Interior Low Plateau, including the Mitchell Plain and the dissected Knobs region of Kentucky, and the Nashville Basin of Tennessee, dominated by Acer saccharum with Carya ovata and Juglans nigra. Scattered individuals of Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus shumardii, and Tilia americana var. heterophylla are also present in the more-or-less closed canopy (about 70% closure). Carya ovata may occur as patches or as scattered individuals. Stands of this association may be smaller-scale patches embedded in a less mesic matrix of oak-dominated forests. The high predominance of Acer saccharum in preference to oaks is presumably due to these more mesic and/or fire-sheltered conditions, but in some cases it may be the result of the removal of oaks by logging. The subcanopy contains Acer saccharum, Ostrya virginiana, Cercis canadensis, and Celtis occidentalis, with one or more Carya spp. In the shrub stratum, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus is a common component.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: In one example near the Duck River in Maury County, Tennessee, this vegetation has developed on soils derived from Ordovician limestone, in an area of alternating karst collapse features and residual rectangular-linear arrays of limestone boulders and slabs. Deeper soils have accumulated in the collapse features and the interstices between the boulders; this configuration contributes to the herbaceous diversity of the community. This situation would tend to be generally fire-sheltered.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands of this association are dominated by Acer saccharum with Carya spp. (e.g., Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Carya ovata) and Juglans nigra. Scattered individuals of Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus shumardii, other Quercus spp., and Tilia americana var. heterophylla may also be present. The subcanopy contains Acer saccharum, Ostrya virginiana, Cercis canadensis, and Celtis occidentalis, with occasional Carya cordiformis. In the shrub stratum, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus is most prevalent; also present are Rhus aromatica, Forestiera ligustrina, Frangula caroliniana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, and Toxicodendron radicans. Some examples contain Cornus florida, Viburnum rufidulum, Nyssa sylvatica, Fraxinus americana, Staphylea trifolia, Asimina triloba, and Lindera benzoin. In one Tennessee example, dense stands of vigorous (over 1 m tall) Polymnia canadensis are present on the exposed limestone slabs and boulders. Asplenium rhizophyllum occurs on the sheltered vertical surfaces of the boulders, along with several mosses. Sedum pulchellum and Parietaria pensylvanica are also characteristic of these limestone exposures. Some herbs which occur in deeper soils include Dichanthelium boscii, Bromus pubescens, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Elymus villosus, Elymus hystrix, Carex spp., Saxifraga virginiensis, Sanicula canadensis var. canadensis, Phryma leptostachya, Geum canadense, Galium circaezans, Arabis laevigata var. laevigata, Trillium cuneatum, Viola x palmata, Agrimonia sp., and Dioscorea quaternata.
Dynamics: Stands of this association may be smaller-scale patches embedded in a less mesic matrix of oak-dominated forests. The high predominance of Acer saccharum in preference to oaks is presumably due to these more mesic and/or fire-sheltered conditions, but in some cases it may be the result of the removal of oaks by logging.
Environmental Description: This association represents mesic forests over limestone in portions of the unglaciated Interior Low Plateau, including the Mitchell Plain and the dissected Knobs region of Kentucky, and the Nashville Basin of Tennessee. In one example near the Duck River in Maury County, Tennessee, this vegetation has developed on soils derived from Ordovician limestone, in an area of alternating karst collapse features and residual rectangular-linear arrays of limestone boulders and slabs. Deeper soils have accumulated in the collapse features and the interstices between the boulders; this configuration contributes to the herbaceous diversity of the community. This situation would tend to be generally fire-sheltered. In Kentucky (Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site units), one site is located beside an old road high atop a knob on a gentle ridge with an eastern aspect. The second site is on a steep, south-facing lower slope at 227 m elevation that is fairly protected by its low position opposite an adjacent knob, and somewhat mesic for a south-facing slope. Soils are moderately well- to well-drained, dry-mesic clay loams.
Geographic Range: This association represents mesic forests over limestone in portions of the unglaciated Interior Low Plateau.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL?, KY, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684156
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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.3 Appalachian-Interior-Northeastern Mesic Forest Macrogroup | M883 | 1.B.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.3.a American Beech - Tuliptree - Yellow Buckeye Forest Group | G020 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
| Alliance | A2033 American Beech - Tuliptree - Bitternut Hickory Forest Alliance | A2033 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
| Association | CEGL004741 Sugar Maple - Shagbark Hickory - Black Walnut / Coralberry / Licorice Bedstraw Forest | CEGL004741 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < IA6k. Sugar Maple - Oak - Hickory Forest (Allard 1990)
- Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Nordman, C. 2004a. Vascular plant community classification for Stones River National Battlefield. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 64 pp. plus appendices and CD.
- Pyne, M., E. Lunsford Jones, and R. White. 2010. Vascular plant inventory and plant community classification for Mammoth Cave National Park. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 334 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- TDNH [Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage]. 2018. Unpublished data. Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage, Nashville, TN.