Print Report
CEGL003932 Vachellia farnesiana - Opuntia dillenii - Lycium carolinianum var. quadrifidum / Spartina patens Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sweet Acacia - Spiny Florida Prickly-pear - Gulf Coast Wolfberry / Saltmeadow Cordgrass Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs on coastal dunes and shell ridges along the upper Texas and western Louisiana coasts. It is a sparse to dense thicket of primarily thorny shrubs, dominated by Vachellia farnesiana, Opuntia dillenii, Lycium carolinianum var. quadrifidum, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, and Yucca aloifolia. Celtis laevigata is often present as a small tree. The herb layer contains various dune herbs, but is usually dominated by Spartina patens, with Astragalus leptocarpus being common. This community is commonly grazed, and the abundance of thorny and spiny species may be partly the result of grazing pressure.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This grades through widely scattered shrubs to herb-dominated dune vegetation. Examples occur at Rutherford Beach (Cameron Parish, Louisiana).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Vegetation is a sparse to dense thicket of primarily thorny shrubs, dominated by Vachellia farnesiana (= Acacia minuta ssp. minuta), Opuntia dillenii (= Opuntia stricta var. dillenii), Lycium carolinianum var. quadrifidum, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, and Yucca aloifolia. Celtis laevigata is often present as a small tree. The herb layer contains various dune herbs, but is usually dominated by Spartina patens, with Astragalus leptocarpus being common.
Dynamics: This community is commonly grazed, and the abundance of thorny and spiny species may be partly the result of grazing pressure.
Environmental Description: This association is found on coastal dune and shell ridges along the Louisiana and upper Texas coast.
Geographic Range: This association ranges along the western Louisiana and upper Texas coasts.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: LA, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686987
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.4 Temperate to Polar Scrub & Herb Coastal Vegetation Formation | F005 | 2.B.4 |
| Division | 2.B.4.Na Eastern North American Coastal Scrub & Herb Vegetation Division | D026 | 2.B.4.Na |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.4.Na.2 American Beachgrass - Sea-oats - Seaside Goldenrod Dune & Grassland Macrogroup | M057 | 2.B.4.Na.2 |
| Group | 2.B.4.Na.2.a Wax-myrtle - Sea-oats - Shore Little Bluestem Dune & Grassland Group | G494 | 2.B.4.Na.2.a |
| Alliance | A1029 Sweet Acacia - Spiny Florida Prickly-pear - Gulf Coast Wolfberry Dune Scrub Alliance | A1029 | 2.B.4.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL003932 Sweet Acacia - Spiny Florida Prickly-pear - Gulf Coast Wolfberry / Saltmeadow Cordgrass Shrubland | CEGL003932 | 2.B.4.Na.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- LNHP [Louisiana Natural Heritage Program]. 2009. Natural communities of Louisiana. Louisiana Natural Heritage Program, Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, Baton Rouge. 46 pp. [http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/page_wildlife/6776-Rare%20Natural%20Communities/LA_NAT_COM.pdf]
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.