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CEGL001454 Populus deltoides / Panicum virgatum - Schizachyrium scoparium Floodplain Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern Cottonwood / Switchgrass - Little Bluestem Floodplain Woodland
Colloquial Name: Cottonwood / Switchgrass Floodplain Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community is found in the central and southern Great Plains of the United States. Stands occur in floodplains and along banks of permanent rivers or streams that flood periodically. Soils are deep, moderately poorly drained to somewhat well-drained, and vary from fine sandy loams to silty clay. A sparse to locally dense canopy of Populus deltoides dominates the open tree canopy, with Salix amygdaloides also present at many sites. The shrub layer is also poorly developed to nearly absent, with at most a sparse layer of Shepherdia argentea and Symphoricarpos occidentalis. The herbaceous understory is dominated by tall grasses 1-2 m tall, primarily Panicum virgatum and Spartina pectinata. Other graminoids frequently present include Carex nebrascensis and Carex pellita. In drier sites, the mid grasses Bouteloua curtipendula, Pascopyrum smithii, and Schizachyrium scoparium may be common. Forb species present in Wyoming stands include Ambrosia psilostachya, Artemisia ludoviciana, Asclepias speciosa, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, Grindelia squarrosa, Liatris punctata, and Opuntia polyacantha. Exotic species are usually uncommon in this community. Overall species diversity is low.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This community is similar to ~Populus deltoides - (Salix amygdaloides) / Salix (exigua, interior) Floodplain Woodland (CEGL000659)$$ and is distinguished from it by the near absence of a shrub layer. It is likely that this type is no more than a subtype of that community in which the shrub layer has been removed through flooding or winter grazing. The literature on these types does not describe the herbaceous layer very well, and more research is needed to characterize it. See also Kittel et al. (1999a) for a recent description that needs to be incorporated with this type.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is dominated by sparse (15-35%) cover of Populus deltoides and often also Salix amygdaloides, which is less common than Populus deltoides when both are present. Locally, overall canopy coverage may be slightly greater than 25%. The woody subcanopy is poorly developed, though in some sites scattered individuals of Elaeagnus angustifolia and Fraxinus pennsylvanica may be present in northern stands and Celtis laevigata in southern stands. The shrub layer is also poorly developed to nearly absent, with at most a sparse layer of Shepherdia argentea and Symphoricarpos occidentalis in northern stands and Amorpha fruticosa and Rhus trilobata. The herbaceous understory is dominated by tall grasses 1-2 m tall, primarily Panicum virgatum and Spartina pectinata. Other graminoids frequently present include Carex nebrascensis and Carex pellita. In drier sites, the mid grasses Bouteloua curtipendula, Pascopyrum smithii, and Schizachyrium scoparium may be common. Forb species present in Wyoming stands include Ambrosia psilostachya, Artemisia ludoviciana, Asclepias speciosa, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, Grindelia squarrosa, Liatris punctata, and Opuntia polyacantha (Jones and Walford 1995). Exotic species are usually uncommon in this community. Overall species diversity is low.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community occurs on low floodplain ridges and stream banks. It is found along strongly meandering rivers with moderate to low gradients. Soils are deep and somewhat poorly drained to moderately well-drained and range from fine, sandy loams to silty clay.
Geographic Range: This community is found in floodplains of the central and southern Great Plains of the United States, ranging from Nebraska and possibly South Dakota south to Texas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, KS, NE, OK, SD, TX, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686124
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Na Eastern North American-Great Plains Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D011 | 1.B.3.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Na.4 Eastern Cottonwood - Green Ash / Willow species Flooded & Swamp Forest | M028 | 1.B.3.Na.4 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.4.a Eastern Cottonwood - Green Ash / Western Wheatgrass Floodplain Forest Group | G147 | 1.B.3.Na.4.a |
| Alliance | A0636 Eastern Cottonwood Floodplain Woodland Alliance | A0636 | 1.B.3.Na.4.a |
| Association | CEGL001454 Eastern Cottonwood / Switchgrass - Little Bluestem Floodplain Woodland | CEGL001454 | 1.B.3.Na.4.a |
Concept Lineage: CEGL001454 and CEGL002165 merged into 1454 and moved to A.636 (Woodland) from A.1507 (Wooded Herbaceous). Changed association name to reflect class change.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Populus deltoides / Panicum virgatum - Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Populus deltoides / Panicum virgatum - Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
? Populus open meadow (Currier 1982) [similar; described in Nebraska]
? Cottonwood Parkland Associes (Hefley 1937) [similar; described in Oklahoma]
? Cottonwood-Tallgrass Series (Diamond 1993)
= Cottonwood/Switchgrass Woodland (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003)
= Plains Cottonwood/Switchgrass Panic Community (Jones and Walford 1995)
= Populus deltoides / Panicum virgatum - Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
? Populus open meadow (Currier 1982) [similar; described in Nebraska]
? Cottonwood Parkland Associes (Hefley 1937) [similar; described in Oklahoma]
? Cottonwood-Tallgrass Series (Diamond 1993)
= Cottonwood/Switchgrass Woodland (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003)
= Plains Cottonwood/Switchgrass Panic Community (Jones and Walford 1995)
- CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
- Carsey, K., G. Kittel, K. Decker, D. J. Cooper, and D. Culver. 2003a. Field guide to the wetland and riparian plant associations of Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins, CO.
- Currier, P. J. 1982. The floodplain vegetation of the Platte River: Phytosociology, forest development, and seedling establishment. Ph.D. dissertation, Iowa State University, Ames. 317 pp.
- Diamond, D. D. 1993. Classification of the plant communities of Texas (series level). Unpublished document. Texas Natural Heritage Program, Austin. 25 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Hefley, H. M. 1937. Ecological studies on the Canadian River floodplain in Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Ecological Monographs 7:347-402.
- Jones, G. P., and G. M. Walford. 1995. Major riparian vegetation types of eastern Wyoming. Submitted to Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 245 pp.
- Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, M. Damm, R. Rondeau, S. Kettler, and J. Sanderson. 1999a. A classification of the riparian plant associations of the Rio Grande and Closed Basin watersheds, Colorado. Unpublished report prepared by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
- Lauver, C. L., K. Kindscher, D. Faber-Langendoen, and R. Schneider. 1999. A classification of the natural vegetation of Kansas. The Southwestern Naturalist 44:421-443.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Moulton, M. P., J. R. Choate, S. J. Bissell, and R. A. Nicholson. 1981. Associations of small mammals on the central high plains of eastern Colorado. Southwestern Naturalist 26(1):53-57.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B., and G. Steinauer. 2010. Terrestrial ecological systems and natural communities of Nebraska (Version IV - March 9, 2010). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, NE. 228 pp.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Steinauer, G., and S. Rolfsmeier. 2003. Terrestrial natural communities of Nebraska. (Version III - June 30, 2003). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln. 163 pp.
- TNHS [Texas Natural History Survey]. No date. Unpublished data. Texas Natural History Survey, The Nature Conservancy, San Antonio.
- Van Wie, E., and M. Damm. 1997. Colorado state community abstract - Populus deltoides ssp. monilifera / Panicum virgatum community. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.