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CEGL007699 Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus (shumardii, stellata) / Cercis canadensis / Viburnum rufidulum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Chinquapin Oak - (Shumard Oak, Post Oak) / Eastern Redbud / Rusty Blackhaw Forest
Colloquial Name: Interior Low Plateau Chinquapin Oak - Mixed Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This chinquapin oak - mixed oak forest association is found in the inner Nashville Basin of central Tennessee and related areas of the Interior Low Plateau of Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana, and in Virginia and marginally into the southern limestone/dolomite valleys of northwestern Georgia. Stands include dry to subxeric forests of flat to rolling topography. Some stands in the Shawnee Hills may have a southerly exposure with thin loess-derived soils. The vegetation is dominated by a mixture of Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus falcata, Quercus shumardii, and Quercus stellata, with Quercus velutina in smaller amounts. Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Carya glabra, and Fraxinus americana may also be present in the canopy, which is typically somewhat open. The relatively open subcanopy contains Acer saccharum, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus quadrangulata, Ulmus alata, Ulmus serotina, and Celtis laevigata. Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Viburnum rufidulum, Frangula caroliniana, Cercis canadensis, Ostrya virginiana, Sideroxylon lycioides, Prunus americana, and Prunus angustifolia are present as tall shrubs or small trees. Coverage of Juniperus in the subcanopy may be dense in some examples, but this vegetation is treated here rather than as a mixed forest. Low shrubs include Rhus aromatica, Forestiera ligustrina, Viburnum rufidulum, Hypericum frondosum, Ptelea trifoliata, and Symphoricarpos orbiculatus. Herbs present include Andropogon spp., Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum shortii, Cheilanthes lanosa, Cunila origanoides, Diarrhena americana, Dichanthelium boscii, Galium circaezans, Heuchera americana, Monarda fistulosa, Schizachyrium scoparium, Scutellaria ovata, Solidago missouriensis, Solidago sphacelata, and Verbesina virginica. A prominent woody vine is Bignonia capreolata. In Tennessee''s Nashville Basin, this association is found over Ordovician limestones (Lebanon, Ridley) at about 200 m elevation. This type also includes examples from slopes above limestone cliffs, e.g., bordering the Ohio River in Harrison County (southern Indiana) and possibly adjacent Kentucky (the former CEGL005020), where Quercus muehlenbergii is found with Fraxinus americana and Fraxinus quadrangulata. This specific example is assumed to be compatible with ~Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus (shumardii, stellata) / Cercis canadensis / Viburnum rufidulum Forest (CEGL007699)$$.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: See also ~Quercus muehlenbergii - Fraxinus quadrangulata - Juniperus virginiana Woodland Alliance (A3273)$$ and other Quercus muehlenbergii woodland alliances. ~Acer saccharum - Quercus muehlenbergii / Cercis canadensis Forest (CEGL006017)$$ is a type with a somewhat overlapping distribution, but is typically found more eastward toward and in the Appalachian region.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation is dominated by a mixture of Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus falcata, Quercus shumardii, and Quercus stellata, with Quercus velutina in smaller amounts. Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Carya glabra, and Fraxinus americana may also be present in the canopy, which is typically somewhat open. The relatively open subcanopy contains Acer saccharum, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus quadrangulata, Ulmus alata, Ulmus serotina, and Celtis laevigata. Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Viburnum rufidulum, Frangula caroliniana, Cercis canadensis, Ostrya virginiana, Sideroxylon lycioides, Prunus americana, and Prunus angustifolia are present as tall shrubs or small trees. Coverage of Juniperus in the subcanopy may be dense in some examples, but this vegetation is treated here rather than as a mixed forest. Low shrubs include Rhus aromatica, Forestiera ligustrina, Viburnum rufidulum, Hypericum frondosum, Ptelea trifoliata, and Symphoricarpos orbiculatus. Herbs present include Andropogon spp., Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum shortii (= Aster shortii), Cheilanthes lanosa, Cunila origanoides, Diarrhena americana, Dichanthelium boscii, Galium circaezans, Heuchera americana, Monarda fistulosa, Schizachyrium scoparium, Scutellaria ovata, Solidago missouriensis, Solidago sphacelata, and Verbesina virginica. A prominent woody vine is Bignonia capreolata. This type also includes examples from slopes above limestone cliffs along the Ohio River in Harrison County (southern Indiana) and possibly adjacent Kentucky (the former CEGL005020), where Quercus muehlenbergii is found with Fraxinus americana and Fraxinus quadrangulata.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands include dry to subxeric forests of flat to rolling topography. Some stands in the Shawnee Hills may have a southerly exposure with thin loess-derived soils (TNC 1995a). In Tennessee''s Nashville Basin, this association is found over Ordovician limestones (Lebanon, Ridley) at about 200 m elevation. At Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, this association occurs on the tops of gentle, low ridges in a landscape of rolling topography on shallow soils over limestone associated with the Knox Group.
Geographic Range: This chinquapin oak - mixed oak forest association is found in the inner Central Basin of central Tennessee and related areas of the Interior Low Plateau, such as the northern edge of the Pennyroyal Karst Plain of Kentucky, and Shawnee Hills in Indiana and Illinois, as well as limestone ridges in the Eastern Knobs region, the Palisades of the Inner Bluegrass, and the eastern edge of the Mississippian Plateaus region of Kentucky. In southwestern Virginia (Lee County), this forest covers large areas. It also extends marginally into the southern limestone/dolomite valleys of northwestern Georgia at Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL?, GA, IL, IN, KY, TN, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685725
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.1 White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Shortleaf Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M016 | 1.B.2.Na.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.1.e Chinquapin Oak - Shumard Oak - Blue Ash Forest & Woodland Group | G601 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
| Alliance | A2060 Chinquapin Oak - Sugar Maple - White Ash Forest Alliance | A2060 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
| Association | CEGL007699 Chinquapin Oak - (Shumard Oak, Post Oak) / Eastern Redbud / Rusty Blackhaw Forest | CEGL007699 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
Concept Lineage: That type (CEGL005028) was too restricted in its distribution and, with rangewide review, Shawnee stands are seen to be part of the broader type.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus (falcata, shumardii, stellata) / Cercis canadensis / Viburnum rufidulum Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
? IA6j. Interior Calcareous Oak - Hickory Forest (Allard 1990)
< IA6l. Cedar - Oak - Hackberry Elm Forest (Allard 1990)
? IA6j. Interior Calcareous Oak - Hickory Forest (Allard 1990)
< IA6l. Cedar - Oak - Hackberry Elm Forest (Allard 1990)
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- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1995a. A classification and description of plant communities in southern Illinois. Report by the Southern Illinois Field Office, Ullin, IL, and the Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN.
- White, J., and M. Madany. 1978. Classification of natural communities in Illinois. Pages 311-405 in: Natural Areas Inventory technical report: Volume I, survey methods and results. Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, Urbana, IL.