Print Report
CEGL004020 Schizachyrium scoparium - Sorghastrum nutans - Dalea purpurea - Silphium integrifolium Jackson Prairie Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Little Bluestem - Indiangrass - Purple Prairie-clover - Wholeleaf Rosinweed Jackson Prairie Grassland
Colloquial Name: Jackson Prairie Calcareous Clay Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association includes remnants of prairie vegetation in the Jackson Prairie region of the upper Coastal Plain of Mississippi and adjacent Alabama. Examples occur on calcareous clay islands consisting of gently sloping uplands surrounded by pine-hardwood forests on acidic soils. The most prominent tall grasses of this association are Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, and Panicum virgatum. Additional tall grasses include Tripsacum dactyloides, Andropogon glomeratus, and Paspalum floridanum. Along with Schizachyrium scoparium, two other species provided over 50% cover in prairie openings; these are Carex cherokeensis and Helenium autumnale.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The most prominent tall grasses of this association are Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, and Panicum virgatum. Additional tall grasses include Tripsacum dactyloides, Andropogon glomeratus, and Paspalum floridanum. Along with Schizachyrium scoparium, two other species provided over 50% cover in prairie openings; these are Carex cherokeensis and Helenium autumnale. Other plants closely affiliated with less disturbed prairie openings include Dalea purpurea, Dalea candida, Sporobolus compositus var. macer, Muhlenbergia capillaris, Penstemon laxiflorus (= Penstemon australis ssp. laxiflorus), Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (= Aster novae-angliae), Echinacea purpurea, Manfreda virginica, Ruellia purshiana, Desmanthus illinoensis, and Spiranthes magnicamporum.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This prairie association is limited to the upper Coastal Plain of Mississippi, primarily in the Jackson Prairie region (Wieland 1995). Examples are found on the Jackson Group, the uppermost Eocene rock strata, more specifically, the Yazoo Clay Formation (Wieland 1995, Moran et al. 2003). The soils of these prairie openings (Chromic Hapluderts) are clayey and calcareous with high shrink-swell potential and high cation-exchange capacities (Moran et al. 2003). Most examples are presently mapped as the Maytag Series, a fine montmorillonitic, thermic Entic Chromudert (Wieland 1995).
Geographic Range: This prairie type is endemic to central Mississippi and adjacent Washington, Choctaw, and Clarke counties of Alabama (A. Schotz pers. comm., Wieland 1995).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, MS
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685425
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.Nh Southeastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D102 | 2.B.2.Nh |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nh.2 Southeastern Coastal Plain Patch Prairie Macrogroup | M309 | 2.B.2.Nh.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a Little Bluestem - Switchgrass - Bushy Bluestem Patch Prairie Group | G175 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
| Alliance | A3318 Little Bluestem - Indiangrass Coastal Plain Prairie Alliance | A3318 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
| Association | CEGL004020 Little Bluestem - Indiangrass - Purple Prairie-clover - Wholeleaf Rosinweed Jackson Prairie Grassland | CEGL004020 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Schizachyrium scoparium - Helenium autumnale calcareous clay prairie or barren (Wieland 1995)
= Virgin Prairie (Jones 1971)
= Virgin Prairie (Jones 1971)
- Jones, S. B. 1971. A virgin prairie and a virgin loblolly pine stand in central Mississippi. Castanea 36:223-225.
- 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.
- Moran, L. P., D. E. Pettry, R. E. Switzer, S. T. McDaniel, and R. G. Wieland. 2003. Soils of native prairie remnants in the Jackson Prairie region of Mississippi. Office of Agricultural Communications, Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University. 16 pp. [http://msucares.com/pubs/bulletins/b1067.htm] (Accessed 5 May 2003)
- Nordman, C., M. Russo, and L. Smart. 2011. Vegetation types of the Natchez Trace Parkway, based on the U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe Central Databases (International Ecological Classification Standard: Terrestrial Ecological Classifications). Arlington, VA. Data current as of 11 April 2011. 548 pp.
- Schotz, Al. Personal communication. Community Ecologist. Alabama Natural Heritage Program. Montgomery, AL.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Wieland, R. G. 1995. Jackson Prairie openings, clay barrens of the Gulf Coastal Plain. Unpublished document. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Museum of Natural Science, Natural Heritage Program, Jackson. 49 pp.