Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: This community is a typically dry to xeric, but occasionally mesic mature Pinus taeda plantation or seed tree/shelterwood-regenerated type of the West Gulf Coastal Plain with ingrowing Pinus echinata. Canopy cover ranges from 60-100%. Shrubs (2-5 m tall) vary in composition and density with management regimes and moisture conditions, but are typically patchy to dense. Dominant shrub species include Vaccinium arboreum, Ilex vomitoria, Chionanthus virginicus, Cornus florida, Vaccinium stamineum, Rhus copallinum, and Morella cerifera (= Myrica cerifera). In denser stands (including unburned/unthinned younger stands) the canopy cover may be too great for a well-developed herbaceous layer dominated by graminoids, but older plantations (over 40 years) are often thinned more frequently and can have a fairly abundant ground cover. Chasmanthium sessiliflorum is a typical ground layer dominant or codominant. Other species encountered in an open, herbaceous-dominated plot in eastern Texas included Croton capitatus, Galactia regularis, Dichondra carolinensis, Dichanthelium sp., Rhynchosia latifolia, Liatris elegans, and a fairly large list of other taxa (NatureServe Ecology unpubl. data). The exotics Lonicera japonica, Ligustrum sinense, and Microstegium vimineum may occur in this community.

Dynamics:  The origin of mixed Pinus taeda and Pinus echinata vegetation is not known. This association was originally conceived as a semi-natural type, created through management. In most of the region, Pinus taeda was not historically present on uplands (Martin and Smith 1993, Evans 1997), suggesting that such a type may represent an anthropogenic artifact. However, mature examples of this vegetation are extant and can be reliably shown to have not been planted. There is also some evidence documenting such stands on the historical landscape in limited areas (Evans unpubl. data). It is possible that early land clearing removed original forest cover, allowing Pinus taeda to become important. In this scenario, these sites would likely have supported mixed Pinus echinata / Quercus spp. woodlands. Within the range of Pinus palustris this type is not known to have occurred naturally. layer may be abundant and somewhat diverse, and on-site Pinus echinata is codominant with off-site Pinus taeda. Shrubs may vary in composition and density with management regimes and moisture conditions. In denser stands (including unburned/unthinned younger stands) the herbaceous layer is sparse, but older plantations (greater than 40 years) are often thinned more frequently and can have a fairly abundant ground cover. Under natural conditions these sites would likely support mixed Pinus echinata / Pinus taeda - Quercus spp. woodlands or Pinus palustris woodlands, depending on the site conditions.