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CEGL007353 Liquidambar styraciflua - Quercus pagoda - Carya spp. / Carpinus caroliniana / Carex spp. Floodplain Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sweetgum - Cherrybark Oak - Hickory species / American Hornbeam / Sedge species Floodplain Forest
Colloquial Name: Sweetgum - Cherrybark Oak Floodplain Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This bottomland hardwood forest is found on higher terraces of floodplains in the northern Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain and East Gulf Coastal Plain, as well as portions of the adjacent Piedmont, of the United States. The canopy of stands is dominated by Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus pagoda, and Carya spp. (including Carya cordiformis, Carya ovata, Carya laciniosa, Carya ovalis). This type was originally described from Shiloh National Park (Hardin County, Tennessee), where the understory may contain Carpinus caroliniana, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Ulmus americana, Carya tomentosa, Carya ovalis, and Quercus nigra. Portions of the stand may exhibit canopy dominance by Liquidambar styraciflua, Platanus occidentalis, and Carya spp., with lower coverage by oaks. Shrubs include Asimina triloba, Arundinaria gigantea, and Ilex decidua, along with smaller individuals of successional tree species such as Acer negundo and Celtis laevigata. Woody and herbaceous vines found here include Bignonia capreolata, Vitis rotundifolia, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Dioscorea villosa, Smilax bona-nox, Toxicodendron radicans, Amphicarpaea bracteata, and Passiflora lutea. Herbs include Arisaema dracontium, Arisaema triphyllum, Aristolochia serpentaria, Hymenocallis occidentalis, Ruellia sp., Laportea canadensis, Polygonum virginianum, Spigelia marilandica, Carex debilis, Carex grayi, Carex squarrosa, Carex tribuloides, Chasmanthium latifolium, Viola spp., and Commelina virginica. Examples of this association which have sustained extensive recent disturbance will likely contain much Smilax sp. and Rubus sp. in the shrub layer. The exotics Ligustrum sinense, Alliaria petiolata, and Microstegium vimineum may be present in examples of this association.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Based on plot data from Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee, and Alabama River, McDuffie Landing. The full range of this type is not known, and a comparative assessment of its relationship to related types (e.g., ~Quercus pagoda - Quercus nigra / Halesia diptera / Chasmanthium sessiliflorum - Dicliptera brachiata Floodplain Forest (CEGL007354)$$) is not complete. To the north, this type would conceptually blend into ~Quercus michauxii - Quercus shumardii - Liquidambar styraciflua / Arundinaria gigantea Swamp Forest (CEGL002099)$$, and to the south it would blend into CEGL007354, but the precise range limits are not clear. However, this type occurs in areas which are not as flood prone as CEGL007354.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy of stands of this bottomland hardwood forest is dominated by Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus pagoda, and Carya spp. (including Carya cordiformis, Carya ovata, Carya laciniosa, Carya ovalis). The understory may contain Carpinus caroliniana, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Ulmus americana, Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Carya ovalis, and Quercus nigra. Portions of the stand may exhibit canopy dominance by Liquidambar styraciflua, Platanus occidentalis, and Carya spp., with lower coverage by oaks. Shrubs include Asimina triloba, Arundinaria gigantea, and Ilex decidua, along with smaller individuals of successional tree species such as Acer negundo and Celtis laevigata. Woody and herbaceous vines found here include Bignonia capreolata, Vitis rotundifolia, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Dioscorea villosa, Smilax bona-nox, Smilax rotundifolia, Menispermum canadense, Toxicodendron radicans, Amphicarpaea bracteata, and Passiflora lutea. Herbs include Arisaema dracontium, Arisaema triphyllum, Aristolochia serpentaria, Hymenocallis occidentalis, Ruellia sp., Leersia sp., Boehmeria cylindrica, Laportea canadensis, Polygonum virginianum, Spigelia marilandica, Carex debilis, Carex grayi, Carex squarrosa, Carex tribuloides, Chasmanthium latifolium, Viola spp., and Commelina virginica. The exotics Ligustrum sinense, Alliaria petiolata, and Microstegium vimineum may be present in examples of this association.
Dynamics: Examples of this association which have sustained extensive recent disturbance will likely contain much Smilax sp. and Rubus sp. in the shrub layer. Dominance by Quercus nigra may be indicative of past logging.
Environmental Description: This bottomland hardwood forest is found on higher terraces of floodplains. Soils on which this type is found (Shiloh National Park, Hardin County, Tennessee) include the Collins and the Waverly silt loams, at an elevation of about 115 m (380 feet). It is also found at about 12 m (40 feet) elevation in Monroe County, Alabama, on a high terrace of the Alabama River.
Geographic Range: This bottomland forest is described from the Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain of southern Tennessee and the East Gulf Coastal Plain and Piedmont of Alabama. It could occur in adjacent states (e.g., Mississippi), but its full range is not known.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, MS, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686134
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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.Nb Southeastern North American Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D062 | 1.B.3.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nb.4 Swamp Chestnut Oak - Bald-cypress - Pecan Southern Floodplain Forest Macrogroup | M031 | 1.B.3.Nb.4 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Nb.4.a Swamp Chestnut Oak - Laurel Oak - Sweetgum Floodplain Forest Group | G034 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.a |
| Alliance | A4683 <i>Quercus phellos - Quercus nigra - Quercus pagoda</i> Southeast Floodplain Forest Alliance | A4683 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.a |
| Association | CEGL007353 Sweetgum - Cherrybark Oak - Hickory species / American Hornbeam / Sedge species Floodplain Forest | CEGL007353 | 1.B.3.Nb.4.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- ALNHP [Alabama Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data on file. Alabama Natural Heritage Program, Auburn University.
- Gallyoun, M., G. Meyer, A. Andreu, and W. Slocumb. 1996. Mapping vegetation communities with The Nature Conservancy''s vegetation classification system on five small national parks in the southeastern USA. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Conservation Science Department, Chapel Hill, NC.
- 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.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- 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.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.