Print Report
CEGL007985 Quercus nigra - Quercus phellos - (Pinus taeda) / Crataegus marshallii / Smilax smallii Floodplain Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Water Oak - Willow Oak - (Loblolly Pine) / Parsley Hawthorn / Lanceleaf Greenbrier Floodplain Forest
Colloquial Name: Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain Water Oak - Willow Oak Overflow Bottom Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This hydric forest community occurs in on broad, poorly drained, sandy flats between Quercus nigra forests and Quercus phellos flats on overflow bottoms on the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of southern Arkansas. The canopy is moderately tall (24+ m [80+ feet]) and usually closed. Dominant trees include Quercus nigra and Quercus phellos commonly with Liquidambar styraciflua. Other overstory trees may include Pinus taeda and Ulmus americana. Pinus taeda was a common component of this forest type historically and stumps are extant. The understory is dominated by Ilex opaca with Crataegus marshallii and occasional Carpinus caroliniana, Diospyros virginiana, and Ilex decidua. Fraxinus pennsylvanica is common in the understory but no large trees are extant. Shrubs are uncommon. Many woody vines are present, including Berchemia scandens, Bignonia capreolata, Campsis radicans, Smilax bona-nox, Smilax rotundifolia, Smilax smallii, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis rotundifolia. The herbaceous layer is moderately dense and dominated by Galium obtusum ssp. obtusum. Oak leaf litter covers the soil but not deeply. This community is known from several sites in the Ouachita River Basin, and likely occurs throughout this area, and apparently related areas of the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain (e.g., Arkansas River) in Arkansas as well.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Examples are known from Big Cypress Unique Area, Lorance Creek Natural Area (with abundant Pinus taeda), Moro Bottoms Natural Area, Pine Bluff Arsenal Old Growth Area, and Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge. The type location is in Dallas County, Arkansas. It is also known from Cleveland, Jefferson, Saline, and Sevier counties, Arkansas. No high-quality examples known. These forests grade into Quercus phellos / Cornus obliqua - Amorpha fruticosa / Carex intumescens - Hymenocallis liriosme Seasonally Saturated Overflow Bottom Forest (not in USNVC) and may abut Quercus nigra - Liquidambar styraciflua / Ilex opaca - Vaccinium fuscatum / Vitis rotundifolia / Carex debilis Temporarily Flooded Floodplain Forest (not in USNVC) or Quercus pagoda - Quercus michauxii - Carya (glabra, ovata) / Carpinus caroliniana / Smilax bona-nox / Carex complanata Mesic Floodplain Forest (not in USNVC).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Dominant trees in stands of this type include Quercus nigra and Quercus phellos commonly with Liquidambar styraciflua. Other overstory trees may include Pinus taeda and Ulmus americana. Pinus taeda was a common component of this forest type historically and stumps are extant. The understory is dominated by Ilex opaca with Crataegus marshallii and occasional Carpinus caroliniana, Diospyros virginiana, and Ilex decidua. Fraxinus pennsylvanica is common in the understory but no large trees are extant. Shrubs are uncommon but may include Amorpha fruticosa. Many woody vines are present. Vines are important in this community and include Berchemia scandens, Bignonia capreolata, Campsis radicans, Smilax bona-nox, Smilax rotundifolia, Smilax smallii, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis rotundifolia. The herbaceous layer is dominated by Galium obtusum ssp. obtusum. Other herbaceous species include Arundinaria gigantea, Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (= Aster lanceolatus), Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (= Aster lateriflorus), Carex annectens, Carex complanata, Carex debilis, Carex intumescens, Carex tribuloides, Chasmanthium laxum, Glyceria striata, Leersia virginica, Lobelia cardinalis, Oxalis dillenii, Poa sp., Rosa sp., Sphagnum sp., Trachelospermum difforme, and Viola sororia (D. Zollner pers. comm.).
Dynamics: Tree-fall gaps are common in later-successional examples of this type. Under current management practices the Pinus taeda component of these forests is much reduced. The role of fire is unknown. The impact of previous timber harvest is unknown, but this association may replace other hydrophytic associations after disturbance.
Environmental Description: This type occurs on broad, nearly level, poorly drained, sandy flats or "overflow bottoms" in the Coastal Plain of Arkansas. These areas flood annually but not deeply (<6 inches). Water is close to the surface throughout much of the year, and the soils are saturated after late winter flooding, drying slowly through late spring. Soils are low in fertility and are typically acidic, silt-loams of the Guyton Series.
Geographic Range: This association is known from the Arkansas Coastal Plain in the Ouachita River Basin and apparently from related areas of the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain (e.g., Arkansas River) as well.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AR, LA?, OK
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685208
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G5
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 | CEGL007985 Water Oak - Willow Oak - (Loblolly Pine) / Parsley Hawthorn / Lanceleaf Greenbrier Floodplain Forest | CEGL007985 | 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: No Data Available
- ONHI [Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory]. No date. Unpublished data. Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, Norman, OK.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Zollner, Douglas. Personal communication. Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy, Arkansas Field Office, Little Rock.