Print Report
CEGL007869 Quercus phellos - Quercus nigra / Sabal minor - Ditrysinia fruticosa Floodplain Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Willow Oak - Water Oak / Dwarf Palmetto - Gulf Sebastian-bush Floodplain Forest
Colloquial Name: West Gulf Coastal Plain Oak / Dwarf Palmetto Rich Bottomland Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This oak-palmetto bottomland forest is found in limited areas in the West Gulf Coastal Plain. Possibly the most characteristic feature of the community is the dense, almost continuous understory cover of Sabal minor. The canopy is dominated by Quercus phellos and Quercus nigra, typically with an admixture of species such as Quercus michauxii, Ulmus americana, and Pinus taeda. The subcanopy is dominated by Carpinus caroliniana ssp. caroliniana. In addition to the dense layer of Sabal minor, the shrub stratum includes Ditrysinia fruticosa, Ilex vomitoria, Arundinaria gigantea, Crataegus marshallii, Ilex decidua, Toxicodendron radicans, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, small stems of Quercus phellos, and Campsis radicans. The herbaceous stratum tends to be sparse below the dense layer of Sabal minor, but may include Chasmanthium laxum, Carex louisianica, Justicia ovata, and Sphagnum spp.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type is found within the Upland Island Wilderness Area of Angelina National Forest and may occur at Winters Bayou on the Sam Houston National Forest (R. Evans pers. obs.). The occurrence of this type in and around the Big Thicket National Preserve of southeast Texas requires further investigation and documentation. More information is needed about the substrate on which this type occurs.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy is dominated by Quercus phellos and Quercus nigra, typically with an admixture of species such as Quercus michauxii, Ulmus americana, and Pinus taeda. The subcanopy is dominated by Carpinus caroliniana ssp. caroliniana. In addition to a typically dense layer of Sabal minor, the shrub stratum includes Ditrysinia fruticosa (= Sebastiania fruticosa), Ilex vomitoria, Arundinaria gigantea, Crataegus marshallii, Ilex decidua, Toxicodendron radicans, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, small stems of Quercus phellos, and Campsis radicans. The herbaceous stratum tends to be sparse below the dense layer of Sabal minor, but may include Chasmanthium laxum, Carex louisianica, Justicia ovata, and Sphagnum spp. Approximately 60 species have been recorded in the understory in an example of this type found on the Angelina National Forest.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Examples of this vegetation may be found on level, moderately wide floodplains associated with intermediate to large streams and/or small rivers. Floodplains often exceed 100 m in width and flooding is relatively frequent. Soils at a plot location attributed to this type on the Angelina National Forest were mapped as the Pophers Series (Aeric Fluvaquent). At this location the surface texture was clay loam, and textural analysis documented nearly equal proportions of sand, silt, and clay in an upper surface sample. The soil pH is mildly acidic, but unusually high in both calcium and magnesium.
Geographic Range: This association is found in eastern Texas and may occur in adjacent areas of Louisiana and Arkansas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AR?, LA?, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684588
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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.a Swamp Chestnut Oak - Laurel Oak - Sweetgum Floodplain Forest Group | G034 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.a |
| Alliance | A4684 <i>Quercus phellos - Quercus nigra</i> West Gulf Floodplain Forest Alliance | A4684 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.a |
| Association | CEGL007869 Willow Oak - Water Oak / Dwarf Palmetto - Gulf Sebastian-bush Floodplain Forest | CEGL007869 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Palmetto-hardwood flats (Watson 1979)
< Sugarberry-Elm Series (Diamond 1993)
< Willow Oak - Laurel Oak / Bignonia Loamy Wet-Mesic Stream Bottoms (Turner et al. 1999)
< Sugarberry-Elm Series (Diamond 1993)
< Willow Oak - Laurel Oak / Bignonia Loamy Wet-Mesic Stream Bottoms (Turner et al. 1999)
- Diamond, D. D. 1993. Classification of the plant communities of Texas (series level). Unpublished document. Texas Natural Heritage Program, Austin. 25 pp.
- 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]
- 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.
- Watson, G. 1979. Big Thicket plant ecology: An introduction. Big Thicket Museum Publication Series No. 5.