Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Texas Live Oak - Redbay Forest

Colloquial Name: Coastal Bend Texas Live Oak - Redbay Forest

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: The natural forms of this community consist of closed to open canopy Quercus fusiformis [see comments on oak taxonomy below] forests on deep, hummocky sands, mostly on the Ingleside barrier-strandplain along the Texas Gulf Coastal Bend. Three variants of this community have been described. One type, the maritime variant, occurs on stabilized dunes composed of deep sand that stretch along San Antonio Bay. This variant is characterized by a relatively tall (8-12 m) forest dominated by Quercus fusiformis. Other trees that reach the canopy include Persea borbonia and Quercus hemisphaerica. The midcanopy is dominated by Persea borbonia and Quercus hemisphaerica with Celtis laevigata and Quercus marilandica occurring as occasional associates. The understory includes Ilex vomitoria and Callicarpa americana. A characteristic member of the sparse ground layer is Scleria triglomerata. On the backside of the dunes, the canopy becomes more open, and the forest supports a more diverse shrub and ground layer with the addition of Vaccinium arboreum, Zornia bracteata, Helianthemum sp., Aeschynomene viscidula, and Croton argyranthemus. This community may warrant separation as a unique association, but very few accessible examples of it remain. It has possibly been severely impacted by coastal development and in some cases by coastal erosion. The other two variants occur on the ridge-and-swale topography of the Ingleside barrier-strandplain. This area supports a "running-live oak" shrubland variant and the oak motte variant. The oak motte variant occurs on the higher "ridges" of the Ingleside barrier-strandplain. Though Celtis laevigata may be present in the canopy, it is dominated almost solely by Quercus fusiformis. Tillandsia recurvata is a common epiphyte of this community. The subcanopy and shrub layer may include Celtis laevigata, Quercus hemisphaerica, Callicarpa americana, Ilex vomitoria, Persea borbonia, Morella cerifera, and numerous woody vines, including Smilax bona-nox, Nekemias arborea, Toxicodendron pubescens, and Vitis mustangensis. The shrub layer may be dense at the edge of the motte but is often open beneath the dense canopy. Characteristic components of the sparse herbaceous layer include Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii, Scleria triglomerata, and Erythrina herbacea. The shrubland variant often appears to be a monoculture of shrubby (1.5-6 m in height) Quercus fusiformis, but other components of the oak motte variant are also found here, including larger Quercus fusiformis trees, Quercus hemisphaerica, Persea borbonia, Morella cerifera (usually in swales), Toxicodendron pubescens, Callicarpa americana, Vitis mustangensis, Ilex vomitoria, Erythrina herbacea, and scattered Quercus marilandica. Small openings with Sorghastrum nutans hint at what is thought to have been the historical condition of these areas. These "running-live oak" thickets are thought to be a modified community that is the result of years of fire suppression and severe grazing pressures. Once this shrubland is established, it is difficult to restore the grassland community to these areas. This forest is associated with grasslands dominated by Schizachyrium littorale, Paspalum plicatulum, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and, in swales, Paspalum monostachyum.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: According to Nixon and Muller (1997), the nominal oak of this association (and all of coastal Texas southwest of the Brazos) should be considered Quercus fusiformis, likely introgressed with Quercus virginiana and/or the Mexican species Quercus oleoides.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available