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CEGL008491 Pinus palustris / Schizachyrium scoparium - Pteridium aquilinum Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Longleaf Pine / Little Bluestem - Western Brackenfern Woodland
Colloquial Name: Xeric Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain Longleaf Pine Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This longleaf pine woodland occurs in a variety of xeric to subxeric situations on upland ridges, knolls, and slopes of the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Georgia and less commonly in the Fall-line Sandhills region of South Carolina. Surface soils are typically sandy loams with very high silt content, often in association with ironstone hardpans or other clayey B horizons. The relatively closed canopy is dominated by Pinus palustris while the subcanopy layer is typically open and is characterized by a mix of scrub oaks and mesic hardwood species. Despite high percentages of silt, the herb layer is not particularly species-rich, but legume and Asteraceae diversity is high compared to other xeric-subxeric types. The two most abundant and constant species in the herbaceous layer are Pteridium aquilinum and Schizachyrium scoparium.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This type has a very high silt content and hence a mix of scrub oaks and "mesic" hardwood species in the subcanopy/shrub layer. The herbaceous layer is relatively species-poor, but legumes and Asteraceae species are fairly diverse compared to other xeric-subxeric types. Pteridium aquilinum is the most constant and abundant species in the herbaceous layer. This type has a unique distribution with most occurrences in the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Georgia, but this type has also been documented in the Fall-line Sandhills region of central South Carolina.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Description has been changed based on 10 plots from the Carolina Vegetation Survey (http://vegbank.org\cite\VB.ds.199651.CEGL008491). The original concept of this type was constrained to the Gulf Coastal Plain (including only plots from Fort Benning, Georgia). The geographic scope has now been broadened by expanding the range from Fort Benning, Georgia, to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The name has been simplified and Pteridium aquilinum added as a good indicator of this type.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Vegetation structure is variable and depends on fire-return time and time since most recent fire. The relatively closed canopy is dominated by Pinus palustris, but may also rarely include Pinus echinata and Pinus taeda. The subcanopy layer is typically open (<25% cover) and is characterized by a mix of scrub oaks, including Quercus marilandica, Quercus laevis, and less commonly Quercus stellata and Quercus falcata. Several mesic hardwood species are also present, including Carya pallida, Nyssa sylvatica, and Quercus nigra. The shrub stratum is of variable density and is characterized by Vaccinium arboreum, Hypericum hypericoides, Vaccinium myrsinites, Vaccinium tenellum, Diospyros virginiana, Vaccinium stamineum, Toxicodendron pubescens, Rhus copallinum, and Gaylussacia dumosa. One characteristic woody vine is Smilax glauca. Despite high percentages of silt, the herb layer is not particularly species-rich, but legume and Asteraceae diversity is high compared to other xeric-subxeric types. The two most abundant and constant species in the herbaceous layer are Pteridium aquilinum and Schizachyrium scoparium. Other characteristic herbaceous species represent a mix of xeric and more mesic species, including Anthaenantia villosa, Aristida purpurascens, Chrysopsis mariana, Coreopsis major, Desmodium lineatum, Dichanthelium aciculare, Dichanthelium ovale, Eupatorium album, Eupatorium compositifolium, Hieracium gronovii, Ionactis linariifolius, Liatris sp., Pityopsis graminifolia, Scleria sp., Sericocarpus asteroides, Sericocarpus tortifolius, Silphium compositum, Solidago nemoralis, Solidago odora, Symphyotrichum concolor, Symphyotrichum dumosum var. dumosum, Tephrosia virginiana, Vernonia angustifolia, and Viola pedata.
Dynamics: These communities had a natural fire regime which allowed for the reproduction of Pinus palustris. Depending on fire-return time and time since most recent fire, stands may contain more or less Pinus echinata and/or Pinus taeda.
Environmental Description: This longleaf pine woodland occurs in a variety of xeric to subxeric situations on coarse- to medium-textured soils, including sands and loamy sands, sometimes in association with ironstone hardpans, on upland ridges, knolls, and slopes of the East Gulf Coastal Plain and rarely in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Soils on which this association may be found include Typic Kanhapludults, Troup Loamy Sand and the Ailey Coarse Loamy Sand, an Ultisol which is coarse-textured in the surface layer, but this is underlain by clay loams with slower drainage.
Geographic Range: This community occurs in the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Georgia and the Atlantic Coastal Plain of central South Carolina. It is possible in Mississippi. Plot occurrences of this type occur on Fort Benning (Chattahoochee County, Georgia) and Fort Jackson (Richland County, South Carolina). This type may occur in the Francis Marion National Forest (J. Glitzenstein pers. comm. 2014).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA, MS?, SC
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685027
Confidence Level: High
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F018 | 1.B.1 |
| Division | 1.B.1.Na Southeastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D006 | 1.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.1.Na.1 Longleaf Pine / Pineland Three-awn Woodland Macrogroup | M007 | 1.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 1.B.1.Na.1.c Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak Xeric Woodland Group | G154 | 1.B.1.Na.1.c |
| Alliance | A4075 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Little Bluestem Woodland Alliance | A4075 | 1.B.1.Na.1.c |
| Association | CEGL008491 Longleaf Pine / Little Bluestem - Western Brackenfern Woodland | CEGL008491 | 1.B.1.Na.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Pinus palustris - Pinus (echinata, taeda) / Quercus (marilandica, laevis) / Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland (Peet 2006) [2.4.5]
= Longleaf Pine (Beckett and Golden 1982)
= Longleaf Pine (Beckett and Golden 1982)
- Beckett, S., and M. S. Golden. 1982. Forest vegetation and vascular flora of Reed Brake Research Natural Area, Alabama. Castanea 48:368-392.
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
- Glitzenstein, Jeff S. Personal communication. Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL.
- MSNHP [Mississippi Natural Heritage Program]. 2006. Ecological communities of Mississippi. Museum of Natural Science, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Jackson, MS. 9 pp.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- 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.
- Palmquist, K. A., R. K. Peet, and S. C. Carr. 2016. Xeric longleaf pine vegetation of the Atlantic and East Gulf Coast Coastal Plain: An evaluation and revision of associations within the U.S. National Vegetation Classification. Proceedings of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification. [in press]
- Peet, R. K. 2006. Ecological classification of longleaf pine woodlands. Pages 51-93 in: S. Jose, E. J. Jokela, and D. L. Miller, editors. The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem: Ecology, Silviculture, and Restoration. Springer Science Business Media, LLC, New York.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.