Print Report
CEGL002287 Central Midwest-Interior Sandstone Moist Cliff Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Central Midwest-Interior Sandstone Moist Cliff Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Central Midwest-Interior Moist Sandstone Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This moist sandstone cliff community is found throughout the central midwestern and interior regions of the United States and southern Ontario, Canada. Stands occur as steep to vertical rock exposures of sandstone bedrock. Aspect is variable, but stands are best developed on north- and east-facing slopes, or under sandstone overhangs. Vegetation is restricted to shelves, cracks and crevices in the rock, generally averaging less than 20%, and often dominated by forbs and ferns, with mats of mosses and lichens. In the Ozarks and Interior Low Plateau, the herbaceous layer contains the forbs Dicentra canadensis, Dodecatheon frenchii, Heuchera parviflora, Triadenum walteri, Mitchella repens, Mitella diphylla, among others, and the ferns Athyrium filix-femina, Cystopteris bulbifera, Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda regalis, and Trichomanes boschianum. In the Allegheny region of Ohio, the sandstone cliffs include the forbs Agrostis perennans, Aquilegia canadensis, Mitchella repens, and Viola blanda, and the ferns Asplenium montanum, Asplenium pinnatifidum, Asplenium rhizophyllum, Asplenium trichomanes, Cystopteris fragilis, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Dryopteris intermedia, Dryopteris marginalis, Polypodium virginianum, and the rare Asplenium bradleyi. In Minnesota and Wisconsin the moist cliffs include forbs, such as Aralia nudicaulis, Asarum canadense and Mitella diphylla, and the ferns Cystopteris bulbifera and Cystopteris fragilis. The nonvascular layer is poorly described. Seepage areas in Minnesota include Sullivantia sullivantii (also found in Missouri) and Cryptogramma stelleri.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: In Missouri, a descriptive name for this type could be "Mitella diphylla - Mitchella repens - Dryopteris goldiana Cliff" (Tim Nigh pers. comm. 1996), but the name would not work in Wisconsin (E. Epstein pers. comm. 1999). Also present are polypodium ferns and mosses. Differences between sandstone overhang and sandstone cliff need review. In Ontario this type is found as very small occurrences and is very rare. This type could be split into an Ozark/Interior Low Plateau sandstone cliff type and more northern Midwest sandstone cliff type. Cliffs are defined as vertical exposures of rock at least 3 m tall. The distinction between open (dry) versus shaded (moist) may be more important that bedrock type, at least on a local or state level. Curtis (1959) comments that in an effort to group the Wisconsin cliff data into meaningful categories, sites were separated by rock type (dolomite, sandstone, igneous) and exposure (shaded, exposed). He found that type of rock was far less important than exposure. For example, the shaded sandstone community had an index of similarity (based on presence/absence) of 64% with the shaded limestone community, but an index of 29% with the exposed sandstone community. As a result, he lumped the bedrock types together, but this produced some of the lowest indices of homogeneity among stands (approx. 35%) of any type in Wisconsin, though this may also reflect differences among northern and southern Wisconsin cliffs, as well as bedrock type and exposure (Curtis 1959, Table IV-2). In order to continue such comparisons regionwide, it will be necessary to continue grouping types by the combination of bedrock and exposure. Some cliffs contain multiple types of rocks, typically sandstone mixed with limestone or dolostone. This may complicate assignment of the cliff to a single rock type. In Ohio, Anderson (1996) provides several references to lichen composition on sandstone cliffs. In Kansas, sandstone cliffs occur in the Dakota sandstone region (extending into Nebraska), along several creeks/rivers in eastern Kansas, and in the Chautaqua Hills area in southeastern Kansas (Chris Lauver pers. comm. 1998).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Vegetation is restricted to shelves, cracks and crevices in the rock, generally averaging less than 20%. In the Ozarks and Interior Low Plateau, the herbaceous layer contains the forbs Dicentra canadensis, Dodecatheon frenchii, Heuchera parviflora, Triadenum walteri (= Hypericum walteri), Mitchella repens, Mitella diphylla, among others, and the ferns Athyrium filix-femina, Cystopteris bulbifera, Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda regalis, and Trichomanes boschianum. In the Allegheny region of Ohio, the sandstone cliffs include the forbs Agrostis perennans, Aquilegia canadensis, Mitchella repens, and Viola blanda, and the ferns Asplenium montanum, Asplenium pinnatifidum, Asplenium rhizophyllum, Asplenium trichomanes, Cystopteris fragilis, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Dryopteris intermedia, Dryopteris marginalis, Polypodium virginianum, and the rare Asplenium bradleyi. In Minnesota and Wisconsin the moist cliffs include forbs, such as Aralia nudicaulis, Asarum canadense and Mitella diphylla, and the ferns Cystopteris bulbifera and Cystopteris fragilis. Missouri sites often harbor glacial relicts. The nonvascular layer is poorly described. Seepage areas in Minnesota include Sullivantia sullivantii (= Sullivantia renifolia) (also found in Missouri) and Cryptogramma stelleri (White and Madany 1978, Homoya et al. 1985, Nelson 1985, MNNHP 1993, Anderson 1996).
Dynamics: Natural disturbances include wind and storm damage, activity by cliff-dwelling animals in the crevices, ledges and rock shelters, and the build-up and collapse of ice (Nelson 1985).
Environmental Description: Stands occur as steep to vertical rock exposures of sandstone bedrock. Aspect is variable, but stands are best developed on north- and east-facing slopes, or under sandstone overhangs (Nelson 1985, MNNHP 1993). The sandstone overhangs are amphitheatre-like cuts in sandstone cliffs. They may recede deeply enough into the cliff face that light levels are very low in the interior of the overhang. The soils beneath the overhang are typically sandy and with little vegetation. Seepage areas may also occur (Homoya et al. 1985). In Missouri, geologic formations include the St. Peter and Lamotte formations.
Geographic Range: This moist sandstone cliff community is found throughout the central midwestern and interior regions of the United States and adjacent Canada, from Ohio and southern Ontario west to Minnesota, south to Kansas and Arkansas and east to Indiana.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: AR, IA, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, OH, ON, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684593
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 6 Open Rock Vegetation Class | C06 | 6 |
| Subclass | 6.B Temperate & Boreal Open Rock Vegetation Subclass | S04 | 6.B |
| Formation | 6.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Cliff, Scree & Other Rock Vegetation Formation | F034 | 6.B.1 |
| Division | 6.B.1.Na Eastern North American Temperate Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Division | D051 | 6.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 6.B.1.Na.1 Shrubby Fivefingers - Rock Polypody / Cup Lichen species Eastern North American Cliff & Rock Vegetation Macrogroup | M111 | 6.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 6.B.1.Na.1.d Central Midwest-Interior Cliff & Rock Vegetation Group | G841 | 6.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Alliance | A3997 Central Midwest-Interior Acidic Cliff Alliance | A3997 | 6.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Association | CEGL002287 Central Midwest-Interior Sandstone Moist Cliff Vegetation | CEGL002287 | 6.B.1.Na.1.d |
Concept Lineage: Dripping cliffs are included as variants of moist cliffs.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Cliff Communities (Anderson 1996) [Anderson also notes the sandstone overhang type.]
= Moist Cliff (Southeast Section) (MNNHP 1993)
= Sandstone Midwest Moist Cliff Sparse Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Shaded Cliff Sandstone Subtype]
< Shaded Rock Cliffs (Curtis 1959)
= Moist Cliff (Southeast Section) (MNNHP 1993)
= Sandstone Midwest Moist Cliff Sparse Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Shaded Cliff Sandstone Subtype]
< Shaded Rock Cliffs (Curtis 1959)
- Anderson, D. M. 1996. The vegetation of Ohio: Two centuries of change. Draft. Ohio Biological Survey.
- Curtis, J. T. 1959. The vegetation of Wisconsin: An ordination of plant communities. Reprinted in 1987. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 657 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.).
- Homoya, M. A., D. B. Abrell, J. R. Aldrich, and T. W. Post. 1985. The natural regions of Indiana. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 94:245-268.
- Hop, K., S. Menard, J. Drake, S. Lubinski, and J. Dieck. 2010c. National Park Service Vegetation Inventory Program: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR-2010/201. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. 358 pp.
- INAI [Iowa Natural Areas Inventory]. 2017. Vegetation classification of Iowa. Iowa Natural Areas Inventory, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines.
- Kost, M. A., D. A. Albert, J. G. Cohen, B. S. Slaughter, R. K. Schillo, C. R. Weber, and K. A. Chapman. 2007. Natural communities of Michigan: Classification and description. Report No. 2007-21, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing. 314 pp. [http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/reports/2007-21_Natural_Communites_of_Michigan_Classification_and_Description.pdf]
- Lauver, C. L., K. Kindscher, D. Faber-Langendoen, and R. Schneider. 1999. A classification of the natural vegetation of Kansas. The Southwestern Naturalist 44:421-443.
- Lee, H., W. Bakowsky, J. Riley, J. Bowles, M. Puddister, P. Uhlig, and S. McMurray. 1998. Ecological land classification for southern Ontario: First approximation and its application. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Southcentral Science Section, Science Development and Transfer Branch. SCSS Field Guide FG-02.
- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003-2005a. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota. Three volumes: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003), The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005c), The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces (2005b). Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2005c. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota: The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province. Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- 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.
- ONHD [Ohio Natural Heritage Database]. No date. Vegetation classification of Ohio and unpublished data. Ohio Natural Heritage Database, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Columbus.
- ONHIC [Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Unpublished data. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, Canada.
- WDNR [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. PUB-SS-1131 2015. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison. [http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/Book.html]
- 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.