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CEGL007394 Planera aquatica Floodplain Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Planertree Floodplain Forest
Colloquial Name: Coastal Plain Planertree Floodplain Swamp Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association consists of forests of the southeastern United States Coastal Plain in which Planera aquatica is dominant and may form an essentially monospecific canopy. Relatively few additional species are present in other vegetational strata, although these short-statured forests sometimes have a scattered emergent canopy of other tree species typical of flooded swamps. The herbaceous and vine/liana strata are sparse, and no species are known to be diagnostic of this type relative to other bottomlands. Due in part to extreme periods of inundation, this habitat is typically very low in species diversity.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Possible Kentucky occurrences are only a few hectares in size.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: These forests are dominated by Planera aquatica, and in many cases form an essentially monospecific canopy of this species. These short-statured forests sometimes have a scattered emergent canopy of Taxodium ascendens, Taxodium distichum, Nyssa biflora, Populus heterophylla, Acer negundo, Fraxinus caroliniana, Liquidambar styraciflua, Platanus occidentalis, Carya aquatica, Celtis laevigata, Nyssa aquatica, Platanus occidentalis, Quercus lyrata, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica, among others. Quercus lyrata is the second most important overstory tree species documented in this association in eastern Texas. Midstory and shrub species in eastern Texas are Cephalanthus occidentalis and Cornus foemina. The herbaceous and vine/liana strata are sparse, and common species include Lindernia dubia, Commelina diffusa, Triadenum walteri, Polygonum hydropiperoides, Pluchea camphorata, Saururus cernuus, Boehmeria cylindrica, Echinodorus cordifolius, Justicia ovata, Packera glabella (= Senecio glabellus), Nekemias arborea (= Ampelopsis arborea), Campsis radicans, Toxicodendron radicans, Vitis rotundifolia, and Parthenocissus quinquefolia.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These forests are associated with southern Coastal Plain rivers, often in depressions a meter or more lower in elevation than the surrounding bottomland hardwood forests. Fine-textured soils in these areas contribute to long periods of inundation typical of backswamp environments while at the same time allowing for further deposition of fine-textured particles. Relatively low chroma values at these sites probably indicate anaerobic soil conditions (Fanning and Fanning 1989). Soil analyses at plot locations of this type in eastern Texas and western Louisiana document strongly acidic pH levels. Mundorff (1998) showed that these soils have higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium than other bottomland community types in the West Gulf Coastal Plain. Plots examined in eastern Texas are also fairly high in calcium and magnesium (Turner et al. unpubl. data).
Geographic Range: This association is found in the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY?, LA, MS, OK, SC, TN, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684216
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4?
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Nb Southeastern North American Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D062 | 1.B.3.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nb.4 Swamp Chestnut Oak - Bald-cypress - Pecan Southern Floodplain Forest Macrogroup | M031 | 1.B.3.Nb.4 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Nb.4.c Bald-cypress - Water Tupelo Floodplain Forest Group | G033 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.c |
| Alliance | A3594 Bald-cypress - Water Tupelo - Swamp Tupelo Floodplain Forest Alliance | A3594 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.c |
| Association | CEGL007394 Planertree Floodplain Forest | CEGL007394 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Planera aquatica Forest (Landaal et al. 1998) [Plots 1-49; 1-53]
< Water Elm / Justicia Clayey Intermittently Exposed Swamps (Turner et al. 1999)
? Water Elm Pond (Wharton et al. 1982)
< Water Elm / Justicia Clayey Intermittently Exposed Swamps (Turner et al. 1999)
? Water Elm Pond (Wharton et al. 1982)
- FNAI [Florida Natural Areas Inventory]. 2010a. Guide to the natural communities of Florida: 2010 edition. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FL. 228 pp. [https://fnai.org/naturalcommguide.cfm]
- Fanning, D. D., and M. C. Fanning. 1989. Soil morphology, genesis, and classification. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., NY. 395 pp.
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
- LNHP [Louisiana Natural Heritage Program]. 2009. Natural communities of Louisiana. Louisiana Natural Heritage Program, Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, Baton Rouge. 46 pp. [http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/page_wildlife/6776-Rare%20Natural%20Communities/LA_NAT_COM.pdf]
- Landaal, S., A. Weakley, and J. Drake. 1998. Classification of the vegetation of Congaree National Park. Report to BRD-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, Chapel Hill, NC. 67 pp.
- Mundorff, K. T. 1998. Ecological classification of bottomland hardwood forests in east Texas and central Louisiana. M.S. thesis, Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches, TX.
- Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.
- Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. No date. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Turner, R. L., J. E. Van Kley, L. S. Smith, and R. E. Evans. 1999. Ecological classification system for the national forests and adjacent areas of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. The Nature Conservancy, Nacogdoches, TX. 95 pp. plus appendices.
- Turner, R. L., J. E. Van Kley, L. S. Smith, and R. E. Evans. No date. Unpublished data from the national forests and adjacent areas of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. The Nature Conservancy, Nacogdoches, TX.
- Wharton, C. H., W. M. Kitchens, E. C. Pendleton, and T. W. Sipe. 1982. The ecology of bottomland hardwood swamps of the Southeast: A community profile. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Biological Services. FWS/OBS-81/37. Washington, DC.