Print Report
CEGL004413 Quercus stellata - (Quercus marilandica) / Gaylussacia frondosa Acidic Hardpan Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Post Oak - (Blackjack Oak) / Blue Huckleberry Acidic Hardpan Woodland
Colloquial Name: Piedmont Acidic Hardpan Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs on acidic clay pans in flat terrain of the Piedmont. The canopy is closed to fairly open and is dominated by Quercus stellata, Quercus alba, and Quercus falcata. Other canopy trees include Pinus echinata, Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus marilandica, and Quercus coccinea. The subcanopy is not distinctive. The shrub layer is characteristically well-developed and consists of short deciduous heaths, including Gaylussacia frondosa, Gaylussacia dumosa, Lyonia ligustrina var. foliosiflora, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium tenellum, and Vaccinium pallidum. The herb layer is poorly developed. Some environments are referred to as highly acidic (pH 3.7-4.0). This association is also reported from the Carolina Slate Belt (Subsection 231Af), on acidic soils such as the Meisenheimer and Zion series.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The occurrence of a number of species which are associated with xeric hardpan forest, but which now occur largely in pastures, roadsides, or other chronically disturbed areas, supports the idea of a more naturally open vegetation structure (Schafale and Weakley 1990). It is believed that periodic fires once maintained a more open canopy in these communities and could have provided habitat for rare species such as Helianthus schweinitzii and Symphyotrichum georgianum (Oakley et al. 1995). This association represents the "Acidic Hardpan Variant" type of Xeric Hardpan Forest. Another association, ~Quercus stellata - Quercus marilandica - Carya (carolinae-septentrionalis, glabra) / Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland (CEGL003714)$$, represents the "Basic Hardpan Variant" (Oakley et al. 1995). See also ~Quercus stellata - Carya carolinae-septentrionalis / Acer leucoderme / Piptochaetium avenaceum - Danthonia spicata Woodland (CEGL003713)$$, the "Basic Rocky Variant" of Piedmont Xeric Hardpan Forest.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy is closed to fairly open and is dominated by Quercus stellata, Quercus alba, and Quercus falcata. Other canopy trees include Pinus echinata, Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus marilandica, and Quercus coccinea. The subcanopy is not distinctive. The shrub layer is characteristically well-developed and consists of short deciduous heaths, including Gaylussacia frondosa (= var. frondosa), Gaylussacia dumosa (= var. dumosa), Lyonia ligustrina var. foliosiflora, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium tenellum, and Vaccinium pallidum. The herb layer is poorly developed.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs on acidic clay pans in flat terrain of the Piedmont. This association is also reported from the Carolina Slate Belt (Subsection 231Af), on acidic soils such as the Meisenheimer and Zion series (Oakley et al. 1995). Some of its environments are referred to as highly acidic (pH 3.7-4.0). These soils are shale-derived, and the shale saprolite is what promotes the formation of the hardpan.
Geographic Range: This type is restricted to the Piedmont of North Carolina.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685990
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.a White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Water Oak Forest Group | G165 | 1.B.2.Na.1.a |
| Alliance | A4434 Post Oak Hardpan Woodland Alliance | A4434 | 1.B.2.Na.1.a |
| Association | CEGL004413 Post Oak - (Blackjack Oak) / Blue Huckleberry Acidic Hardpan Woodland | CEGL004413 | 1.B.2.Na.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Xeric Hardpan Forest, Acidic Hardpan Variant (Oakley et al. 1995)
- Oakley, S. C., H. E. LeGrand, Jr., and M. P. Schafale. 1995. An inventory of mafic natural areas in the North Carolina Piedmont. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 252 pp.
- Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. No date. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.