Print Report
CEGL007023 Quercus hemisphaerica - Carya glabra / Oxydendrum arboreum / Ditrysinia fruticosa / Carex baltzellii Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Darlington Oak - Pignut Hickory / Sourwood / Gulf Sebastian-bush / Baltzell''s Sedge Forest
Colloquial Name: Florida Steephead Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These forests occur on steep slopes of steepheads and spring-run streams of the Florida Panhandle. The canopy is usually closed (though sometimes somewhat open because of the steep slope), and is typically strongly dominated by Quercus hemisphaerica, though other species, such as Carya pallida, Carya glabra, Quercus virginiana, and Pinus palustris (on upslope ecotone) can occur. The open to closed subcanopy consists of Oxydendrum arboreum, Cornus florida, Quercus arkansana, Magnolia ashei, Magnolia grandiflora, Quercus margarettae, Ilex opaca var. opaca, and Tilia americana var. caroliniana. The often dense shrub layer is diverse, including Ditrysinia fruticosa, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium stamineum, Yucca flaccida, Halesia diptera, Sideroxylon lanuginosum, Illicium floridanum, Asimina parviflora, Hypericum hypericoides, Chionanthus virginicus, Osmanthus americanus, Symplocos tinctoria, Clethra alnifolia, Diospyros virginiana, Ilex coriacea, Ilex glabra, Crataegus lacrimata, Serenoa repens, Callicarpa americana, and (rarely) Pieris phillyreifolia. Woody vines include Bignonia capreolata, Vitis rotundifolia, Clematis reticulata, Gelsemium sempervirens, and Matelea alabamensis. The herb layer is well-developed, and is often dominated by Chasmanthium sessiliflorum and Carex baltzellii, also including Smilax pumila, Mitchella repens, Dichanthelium commutatum, Solidago sp., Pityopsis graminifolia, Iris verna, Uvularia sessilifolia, Elephantopus elatus, Ageratina aromatica, Pteridium aquilinum var. pseudocaudatum, and Salvia azurea var. azurea.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Most documented examples occur on Eglin Air Force Base. Examples occur also at Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (Liberty County, Florida). Numerous occurrences on Eglin AFB have all other nominal species but lack Carya glabra (A. Johnson pers. comm. 1998).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy of stands is typically strongly dominated by Quercus hemisphaerica, though other species, such as Carya pallida, Carya glabra, Quercus virginiana, and Pinus palustris (on upslope ecotone) can occur. Numerous occurrences on Eglin AFB lack Carya glabra. The open to closed subcanopy consists of Oxydendrum arboreum, Cornus florida, Quercus arkansana, Magnolia ashei, Magnolia grandiflora, Quercus margarettae, Ilex opaca var. opaca, and Tilia americana var. caroliniana. The often dense shrub layer is diverse, including Ditrysinia fruticosa (= Sebastiania fruticosa), Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium stamineum, Yucca flaccida, Halesia diptera, Sideroxylon lanuginosum (= Bumelia lanuginosa), Illicium floridanum, Asimina parviflora, Hypericum hypericoides, Chionanthus virginicus, Osmanthus americanus, Symplocos tinctoria, Clethra alnifolia, Diospyros virginiana, Ilex coriacea, Ilex glabra, Crataegus lacrimata, Serenoa repens, Callicarpa americana, and (rarely) Pieris phillyreifolia. Woody vines include Bignonia capreolata, Vitis rotundifolia, Clematis reticulata, Gelsemium sempervirens, and Matelea alabamensis. The herb layer is well-developed, and is often dominated by Chasmanthium sessiliflorum and Carex baltzellii, also including Smilax pumila, Mitchella repens, Dichanthelium commutatum, Solidago sp., Pityopsis graminifolia, Iris verna, Uvularia sessilifolia, Elephantopus elatus, Ageratina aromatica, Pteridium aquilinum var. pseudocaudatum, and Salvia azurea var. azurea.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These forests occur on steep slopes of steepheads and spring-run streams of the Florida Panhandle. They have a cooler and moister microclimate than surrounding areas and are to a degree fire-protected, though low-intensity surface fires enter them from surrounding sandhill communities upslope.
Geographic Range: Currently this type is known from the northwestern Florida portion of the East Gulf Coastal Plain. Its range may be extended as additional field data become available.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: FL, GA?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686482
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F018 | 1.B.1 |
| Division | 1.B.1.Na Southeastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D006 | 1.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.1.Na.2 Live Oak - Texas Live Oak - Darlington Oak Forest Macrogroup | M885 | 1.B.1.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.1.Na.2.a Live Oak - Pignut Hickory - Cabbage Palmetto Coastal Forest Group | G798 | 1.B.1.Na.2.a |
| Alliance | A0372 Darlington Oak - Pignut Hickory - Southern Magnolia Forest Alliance | A0372 | 1.B.1.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007023 Darlington Oak - Pignut Hickory / Sourwood / Gulf Sebastian-bush / Baltzell''s Sedge Forest | CEGL007023 | 1.B.1.Na.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Mesic Hardwood Hammocks, laurel oak woods (Clewell 1981)
= Upland Hardwood Forest (Kindell et al. 1997)
= Upland Hardwood Forest (Kindell et al. 1997)
- Clewell, A. F. 1981. Natural setting and vegetation of the Florida Panhandle: An account of the environments and plant communities of northern Florida west of the Suwannee River. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mobile, AL. 773 pp.
- FNAI [Florida Natural Areas Inventory]. 2010a. Guide to the natural communities of Florida: 2010 edition. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FL. 228 pp. [https://fnai.org/naturalcommguide.cfm]
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
- Johnson, Ann F. Personal communication. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee.
- Kindell, C. E., B. J. Herring, C. Nordman, J. Jensen, A. R. Schotz, and L. G. Chafin. 1997. Natural community survey of Eglin Air Force Base, 1993-1996: Final report. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee. 123 pp. plus appendix.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.