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CEGL007911 Panicum virgatum - Andropogon gerardii Grand Prairie Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Switchgrass - Big Bluestem Grand Prairie Grassland
Colloquial Name: Arkansas Grand Prairie Switchgrass - Big Bluestem Grassland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mesic tallgrass prairie community occurs on Pleistocene alluvial terraces in eastern Arkansas and northeastern Louisiana. It is characterized by varying dominance of Panicum virgatum, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Typical forbs include Liatris pycnostachya, Liatris elegans, Baptisia alba var. macrophylla, Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, Silphium laciniatum. Mespilus canescens is endemic to the Grand Prairie; and Oenothera pilosella ssp. sessilis may be endemic. Soils have relatively thin topsoil of silt (loess) underlain by impermeable subsoil. Prairie sites are flat interfluves subject to extremes of wet/dry, and have few breaks to retard fire. In a region with >125 cm annual rainfall, frequent fire is essential for maintenance.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Heineke (1987) states that some remnant prairies of the Grand Prairie region (those that he believes to "have been neither burned not cut" [for hay]) contained, as their most common species, Eleocharis tenuis, Carex caroliniana, Carex meadii, Euthamia leptocephala, Helianthus mollis, Panicum virgatum, Parthenium hispidum, Packera tomentosa, Tephrosia onobrychoides, and Vernonia baldwinii. These sites conspicuously lack Andropogon virginicus and Andropogon ternarius.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Vegetation is characterized by varying dominance of Panicum virgatum, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Typical forbs include Liatris pycnostachya, Liatris elegans, Baptisia alba var. macrophylla, Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, and Silphium laciniatum. Mespilus canescens is endemic to the Grand Prairie; and Oenothera pilosella ssp. sessilis may be endemic. Soils have relatively thin topsoil of silt (loess) underlain by impermeable subsoil. Prairie sites are flat interfluves subject to extremes of wet/dry, and have few breaks to retard fire. In a region with >125 cm annual rainfall, frequent fire is essential for maintenance.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This mesic tallgrass prairie community occurs on Pleistocene alluvial terraces in eastern Arkansas and northeastern Louisiana.
Geographic Range: This mesic tallgrass prairie community occurs on Pleistocene alluvial terraces in eastern Arkansas and northeastern Louisiana.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AR, LA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687023
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nh Southeastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D102 | 2.B.2.Nh |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nh.2 Southeastern Coastal Plain Patch Prairie Macrogroup | M309 | 2.B.2.Nh.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a Little Bluestem - Switchgrass - Bushy Bluestem Patch Prairie Group | G175 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
| Alliance | A3317 Switchgrass - Beaked Panicgrass Coastal Plain Prairie Alliance | A3317 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007911 Switchgrass - Big Bluestem Grand Prairie Grassland | CEGL007911 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Grand Prairie (Heineke 1987)
< Grand Prairie region native prairie (Irving et al. 1980)
< Grand Prairie region native prairie (Irving et al. 1980)
- Foti, T., M. Blaney, X. Li, and K. G. Smith. 1994. A classification system for the natural vegetation of Arkansas. Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science 48:50-53.
- Heineke, T. E. 1987. The flora and plant communities of the middle Mississippi River Valley. Ph.D. dissertation, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 653 pp.
- Irving, R. S., S. Brenholts, and T. Foti. 1980. Composition and net primary production of native prairies in eastern Arkansas. American Midland Naturalist 103(1):289-309.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.