Print Report
CEGL007181 Fagus grandifolia - Acer floridanum - Quercus muehlenbergii / Sanguinaria canadensis Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: American Beech - Southern Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak / Bloodroot Forest
Colloquial Name: Basic Mesic Ravine Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These rich mesophytic to submesophytic forests of calcareous ravines are found in the southeastern Virginia Coastal Plain and possibly the adjacent Piedmont. Habitats are north- to east-facing slopes and adjacent low interfluves downcut into Tertiary shell deposits or lime sands, including the Pliocene marine shell deposits of the calcium-rich Yorktown Formation. The canopies of stands of this association are typically dominated by variable combinations of Fagus grandifolia, Acer floridanum, Quercus rubra, Quercus muehlenbergii, Tilia americana var. americana, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Quercus alba. Although generally not as constant or abundant as Fagus grandifolia, Acer floridanum, and Quercus muehlenbergii occur in over two-thirds of the plot samples and are good diagnostic species. Characteristic or locally important understory species include Asimina triloba, Magnolia tripetala, Ulmus rubra, Ilex opaca var. opaca, Cornus alternifolia, Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, and Carpinus caroliniana. Common herbs are Polystichum acrostichoides, Asarum canadense, Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa, Arisaema triphyllum, Actaea racemosa, Cardamine concatenata, Sanguinaria canadensis, Adiantum pedatum, Packera aurea, and Luzula acuminata ssp. carolinae. The grass Brachyelytrum erectum is abundant and characteristic of more submesic habitats (e.g., convex north slopes) occupied by the type. Related vegetation occurs in the southern Piedmont of Virginia (Charlotte County).
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Classification of this type is based on quantitative analysis of a 1250-plot regional dataset produced for the NCR and Mid-Atlantic National Parks vegetation mapping project. In this analysis, this association was represented by 22 plots from the southeastern Virginia Coastal Plain and was distinct from the related ~Fagus grandifolia - Liriodendron tulipifera - Carya cordiformis / Lindera benzoin / Podophyllum peltatum Forest (CEGL006055)$$ of the adjacent Piedmont and northern Coastal Plain from central Virginia north to New Jersey. Forests of rich ravines of the southern Virginia Piedmont have similar canopies, but their understories are dominated by Aesculus sylvatica; based on limited data, these represent ~Fagus grandifolia - Quercus rubra / Aesculus sylvatica / Actaea racemosa - Adiantum pedatum Forest (CEGL008466)$$. This association is mostly a small-patch vegetation type. See ~Quercus muehlenbergii / Cercis canadensis / Bromus pubescens - Erigeron pulchellus var. pulchellus - Aquilegia canadensis Forest (CEGL007748)$$ for related, more xerophytic forests of south-facing ravine slopes in the same region.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopies of stands of this association are typically dominated by variable combinations of Fagus grandifolia, Acer floridanum (= Acer barbatum), Quercus rubra, Quercus muehlenbergii, Tilia americana var. americana, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Quercus alba. Although generally not as constant or abundant as Fagus grandifolia, Acer floridanum, and Quercus muehlenbergii occur in more than two-thirds of the plot samples and are good diagnostic species. Characteristic or locally important understory species include Asimina triloba, Magnolia tripetala, Ulmus rubra, Ilex opaca var. opaca, Cornus alternifolia, Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, and Carpinus caroliniana. Common herbs are Polystichum acrostichoides, Asarum canadense, Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa (= Hepatica americana), Arisaema triphyllum, Actaea racemosa (= Cimicifuga racemosa), Cardamine concatenata, Sanguinaria canadensis, Adiantum pedatum, Packera aurea (= Senecio aureus), and Luzula acuminata ssp. carolinae. The grass Brachyelytrum erectum is abundant and characteristic of more submesic habitats (e.g., convex north slopes) occupied by the type. A number of herbaceous species found in this association are either at or near their northern range limit or are disjunct from a primary range farther west. Species in this group include Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Malaxis spicata, Ponthieva racemosa, Panax quinquefolius, Actaea pachypoda, Solidago flexicaulis, Desmodium glutinosum, Mitella diphylla, Thalictrum dioicum, Prenanthes trifoliolata, Aralia racemosa, Scutellaria ovata, Deparia acrostichoides, and Diplazium pycnocarpon. More floristic information is available in Ware and Ware (1992).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These rich mesophytic to submesophytic forests of calcareous ravines are found in the southeastern Virginia Coastal Plain. Habitats are north- to east-facing slopes and adjacent low interfluves downcut into Tertiary shell deposits or limesands, including the Pliocene marine shell deposits of the calcium-rich Yorktown Formation. Soils are highly calcareous, with mean calcium levels >2200 ppm in 22 analyzed samples.
Geographic Range: This community is known from Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, and York counties and the City of Suffolk in southeastern Virginia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687025
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.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.9 Pitch Pine - oak spp. - American Holly North Atlantic Forest Macrogroup | M525 | 1.B.2.Na.9 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.9.b Black Oak - American Beech - Pitch Pine Coastal Plain Forest Group | G894 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
| Alliance | A4394 Chinquapin Oak - Mixed Hardwoods Calcareous Forest | A4394 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
| Association | CEGL007181 American Beech - Southern Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak / Bloodroot Forest | CEGL007181 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acer barbatum - Fagus grandifolia - Quercus muhlenbergii / Polystichum acrostichoides - Hepatica americana Forest (Fleming and Patterson 2003)
? Basic Mesic Forest, Coastal Plain Calcareous Ravine Type (Fleming pers. comm.)
? Basic Mesic Forest, Coastal Plain Calcareous Ravine Type (Fleming pers. comm.)
- Fleming, G. P. 2002b. Preliminary classification of Piedmont & Inner Coastal Plain vegetation types in Virginia. Natural Heritage Technical Report 02-14. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond. 29 pp.
- Fleming, G. P., K. D. Patterson, and K. Taverna. 2017. The natural communities of Virginia: A classification of ecological community groups and community types. Third approximation. Version 3.0. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. [http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-communities/]
- Fleming, G. P., K. Taverna, and P. P. Coulling. 2007b. Vegetation classification for the National Capitol Region parks, eastern region. Regional (VA-MD-DC) analysis prepared for NatureServe and USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, March 2007. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond.
- Fleming, G. P., and K. D. Patterson. 2003. Preliminary vegetation classification for the National Capitol Region parks. Regional (VA-WVA-MD-DC) analysis prepared for NatureServe and USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, March 2003. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond.
- Fleming, Gary P. Personal communication. Ecologist, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA.
- Patterson, K. D. 2008c. Vegetation classification and mapping at Colonial National Historical Park, Virginia. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2008/129. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. 369 pp.
- Patterson, Karen D. Personal communication. Ecologist, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Ware, D. M. E., and S. Ware. 1992. An Acer barbatum-rich ravine forest community in the Virginia coastal plain. Castanea 57:110-122.