Print Report
CEGL005231 Andropogon gerardii - Panicum virgatum - Schizachyrium scoparium - (Tradescantia tharpii) Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - Switchgrass - Little Bluestem - (Tharp''s Spiderwort) Grassland
Colloquial Name: Dakota Sandstone Mesic Tallgrass Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This sandstone tallgrass prairie community is found in the eastern central Great Plains of the United States. Stands occur on moderate to steep dry-mesic slopes and ridgetops of the Dakota Sandstone region of north-central Kansas and adjacent Nebraska. The loam soils range from shallow and somewhat excessively well-drained to moderately deep and well-drained. The parent material is sandstone and sandy shale. Tall graminoids are the dominant vegetation in this community although trees and shrubs may be widely scattered. The most abundant species include Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans. Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, and Sporobolus compositus are common graminoid associates. Amorpha canescens, Symphyotrichum ericoides, Echinacea angustifolia, Calylophus serrulatus, Psoralidium tenuiflorum, Mimosa microphylla, Oligoneuron rigidum and Tradescantia tharpii are typical forbs of this community. Clematis fremontii, Oenothera macrocarpa and Phemeranthus calycinus are unusual species of this area.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Type concept comes from the Kansas state classification Dakota Sandstone Prairie (Lauver et al. 1999). This community appears to be mesic to dry-mesic. Hladek et al. (1972) sampled 65 stands in the Smokey Hills region of Kansas. They divided the stands into five classes, very dry, dry, dry-mesic, mesic, and wet-mesic. Their dry-mesic and mesic classes fit best with the concept of this type. See Hladek et al. (1972) for a list of the most abundant species in this community. Dry and wet-mesic classes of Hladek et al. (1972) may also fit into this type, broadly defined. See also Andropogon gerardii types in Colorado and Wyoming. This type was originally part of ~Andropogon gerardii - Panicum virgatum - Helianthus grosseserratus Wet Meadow (CEGL002024)$$. This type is not currently recognized in Nebraska (G. Steinauer pers. comm. 1999).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Tall graminoids are the dominant vegetation in this community, although trees and shrubs may be widely scattered. The most abundant species include Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans. Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, and Sporobolus compositus (= Sporobolus asper) are common graminoid associates. Amorpha canescens, Symphyotrichum ericoides (= Aster ericoides), Echinacea angustifolia, Calylophus serrulatus (= Oenothera serrulata), Psoralidium tenuiflorum (= Psoralea tenuiflora), Mimosa microphylla (= Schrankia uncinata), Oligoneuron rigidum (= Solidago rigida), and Tradescantia tharpii are typical forbs of this community (Hladek et al. 1972). Clematis fremontii, Oenothera macrocarpa, and Phemeranthus calycinus (= Talinum calycinum) are unusual species of this area [see also Lauver et al. (1999)].
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is found on moderate to steep, dry-mesic slopes and ridgetops. The loam soils range from shallow and somewhat excessively well-drained to moderately deep and well-drained, formed in material weathered from sandstone and sandy shale. The parent material is primarily Dakota sandstone (Lauver et al. 1999).
Geographic Range: This sandstone tallgrass prairie community is found in the eastern central Great Plains of the United States on moderate to steep dry-mesic slopes and ridgetops of the Dakota Sandstone region of north-central Kansas and adjacent Nebraska.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: KS, NE
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684671
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D023 | 2.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nb.1 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Dense Blazingstar Tallgrass Prairie Macrogroup | M054 | 2.B.2.Nb.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Porcupine Grass Tallgrass Prairie Group | G333 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A4057 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Stiff Tickseed Central Grassland Alliance | A4057 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Association | CEGL005231 Big Bluestem - Switchgrass - Little Bluestem - (Tharp''s Spiderwort) Grassland | CEGL005231 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Andropogon gerardii - Panicum virgatum - Schizachyrium scoparium - (Tradescantia tharpii) Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Dakota Sandstone Prairie (Lauver et al. 1999)
? Dry-mesic (Hladek et al. 1972)
? Mesic (Hladek et al. 1972)
= Dakota Sandstone Prairie (Lauver et al. 1999)
? Dry-mesic (Hladek et al. 1972)
? Mesic (Hladek et al. 1972)
- 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.).
- Hladek, K. L., G. K. Hulett, and G. W. Tomanek. 1972. The vegetation of remnant shale-limestone prairies in western Kansas. Southwestern Naturalist 17(1):1-10.
- Kindscher, Kelly. Personal communication. Ecologist/Associate Scientist. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence, KS.
- 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.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B., and G. Steinauer. 2010. Terrestrial ecological systems and natural communities of Nebraska (Version IV - March 9, 2010). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, NE. 228 pp.