Print Report
CEGL007808 Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus shumardii - Carya (carolinae-septentrionalis, ovata) Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Chinquapin Oak - Shumard Oak - (Southern Shagbark Hickory, Shagbark Hickory) Forest
Colloquial Name: Interior Plateau Chinquapin Oak - Shumard Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association includes dry-mesic forests dominated by varying proportions of Quercus muehlenbergii and Quercus shumardii. It occurs in the Interior Low Plateau of Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee, and also extends into the Ridge and Valley and Cumberland Plateau of Alabama and Georgia, on soils derived from limestones or other basic substrates, on gently rolling to rolling topography or on upper to mid slopes. In addition to the nominal species, the canopy may also contain some mixture of Acer saccharum, Carya glabra, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus quadrangulata, and Ulmus serotina. Particularly towards the southern portion of the association''s distribution, Carya carolinae-septentrionalis joins or replaces Carya ovata as the predominant hickory. Subcanopy species include Quercus stellata, Aesculus glabra, Gleditsia triacanthos, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Ulmus alata, Ulmus americana, Ulmus serotina (to the south), Ulmus thomasii (to the north), Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, Celtis laevigata var. laevigata, Ostrya virginiana, Fraxinus quadrangulata, Prunus mexicana, and Juglans nigra. Shrubs include Forestiera ligustrina, Frangula caroliniana, Hypericum frondosum, Rhus aromatica var. aromatica, Sideroxylon lycioides, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, and Viburnum rufidulum. Bignonia capreolata is a prominent liana. Other woody vines include Lonicera sempervirens and Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Herbs, a mixture of submesic and xeric limestone species, include Fleischmannia incarnata, Lithospermum tuberosum, Polygonatum biflorum, Polymnia canadensis, Scutellaria ovata, Sedum pulchellum, Packera anonyma, Tragia cordata, Ruellia humilis, Ruellia strepens, Matelea gonocarpos, Arabis laevigata var. laevigata, Cuphea viscosissima, Galium sp., Diarrhena americana, Elymus sp., Senna marilandica, Chimaphila maculata, Salvia urticifolia, Tiarella cordifolia, Triosteum angustifolium, Asplenium platyneuron, and Asplenium resiliens. Examples of this association may grade into ~Juniperus virginiana - Fraxinus quadrangulata / Polymnia canadensis - (Astranthium integrifolium) Woodland (CEGL003754)$$, ~Quercus alba - Quercus rubra - Quercus muehlenbergii / Cercis canadensis Forest (CEGL002070)$$, or ~Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus (shumardii, stellata) / Cercis canadensis / Viburnum rufidulum Forest (CEGL007699)$$. Most examples observed seem to be generally subxeric. More mesic examples, formerly regarded as a "mesic variant" of this association, are now accommodated as ~Quercus shumardii - Quercus muehlenbergii - Acer (floridanum, saccharum) / Ostrya virginiana Forest (CEGL008442)$$.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This concept originated with the more xeric manifestation of Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus shumardii-dominated vegetation of limestone slopes in Tennessee and Kentucky, in particular the Inner or Outer Nashville Basin of Tennessee (subsections 222Ec and 222Ed). Examples have subsequently been located in the Cumberland Plateau of Alabama. It is reported from the "transition hills" (EPA 65j) of northwestern Alabama (A. Schotz pers. comm.). This association should be found on the Somerset Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest (Kentucky), as well as in the Kentucky Palisades and the Dripping Springs Escarpment. Additional information is needed regarding landscape position, variation, and floristics of this association across its range. Forests dominated by these nominal oaks seem to range from xeric to relatively mesic. The more mesic examples, formerly regarded as a "mesic variant" of this association, are placed in ~Quercus shumardii - Quercus muehlenbergii - Acer (floridanum, saccharum) / Ostrya virginiana Forest (CEGL008442)$$. The relationship of these associations to each other and to their western relative, ~Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus shumardii Forest (CEGL004602)$$, is under investigation. Related vegetation west of the Mississippi River in Arkansas and Oklahoma will be found in ~Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus shumardii Forest (CEGL004602)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: In addition to Quercus muehlenbergii and Quercus shumardii, the canopy may also contain some mixture of Acer saccharum, Carya glabra, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus quadrangulata, and Ulmus serotina. In some examples, the Carya sp. present may be Carya carolinae-septentrionalis. Subcanopy species include Quercus stellata, Aesculus glabra, Gleditsia triacanthos, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Ulmus alata, Ulmus americana, Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, Celtis laevigata var. laevigata, Fraxinus quadrangulata, Prunus mexicana, and Juglans nigra. Shrubs and woody vines include Bignonia capreolata, Forestiera ligustrina, Frangula caroliniana, Hypericum frondosum, Lonicera sempervirens, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Rhus aromatica var. aromatica, Sideroxylon lycioides, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, and Viburnum rufidulum. Herbs, a mixture of submesic and xeric limestone species, include Fleischmannia incarnata, Lithospermum tuberosum, Polygonatum biflorum, Polymnia canadensis, Scutellaria ovata, Sedum pulchellum, Packera anonyma (= Senecio anonymus), Tragia cordata, Ruellia humilis, Ruellia strepens, Matelea gonocarpos, Arabis laevigata var. laevigata, Cuphea viscosissima, Galium sp., Elymus sp., Senna marilandica (= Cassia marilandica), Chimaphila maculata, Salvia urticifolia, Tiarella cordifolia, Triosteum angustifolium, Asplenium platyneuron, and Asplenium resiliens. Some additional spring-aspect herbs at Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Tennessee, include Trillium cuneatum, Podophyllum peltatum, Cardamine concatenata, Cardamine douglassii, Claytonia virginica, and Ranunculus fascicularis.
Dynamics: This association may grade into ~Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana - Fraxinus quadrangulata / Polymnia canadensis - (Astranthium integrifolium) Woodland (CEGL003754)$$, ~Quercus alba - Quercus rubra - Quercus muehlenbergii / Cercis canadensis Forest (CEGL002070)$$, or ~Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus (shumardii, stellata) / Cercis canadensis / Viburnum rufidulum Forest (CEGL007699)$$. Most examples observed seem to be generally subxeric. An example of a "mesic variant" (this stand now regarded as attributable to ~Quercus shumardii - Quercus muehlenbergii - Acer (floridanum, saccharum) / Ostrya virginiana Forest (CEGL008442)$$) observed at Warner Park, Nashville, Tennessee, is dominated by large individuals of the nominal species with Quercus macrocarpa, Ulmus americana, and Diospyros virginiana.
Environmental Description: This association occurs in the Interior Low Plateau of Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee, on soils derived from limestones or other basic substrates, on gently rolling topography or on upper to mid slopes.
Geographic Range: This oak-dominated forest association occurs in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee; it is documented from the Nashville Basin of Tennessee, the Ridge and Valley of Georgia, and the Cumberlands of Alabama. It is reported from the "transition hills" (EPA 65j) of northwestern Alabama (A. Schotz pers. comm.).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, GA, KY, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687167
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.1 White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Shortleaf Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M016 | 1.B.2.Na.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.1.e Chinquapin Oak - Shumard Oak - Blue Ash Forest & Woodland Group | G601 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
| Alliance | A2060 Chinquapin Oak - Sugar Maple - White Ash Forest Alliance | A2060 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
| Association | CEGL007808 Chinquapin Oak - Shumard Oak - (Southern Shagbark Hickory, Shagbark Hickory) Forest | CEGL007808 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
Concept Lineage: split out
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.
- Nordman, C. 2004a. Vascular plant community classification for Stones River National Battlefield. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 64 pp. plus appendices and CD.
- 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.
- Schotz, Al. Personal communication. Community Ecologist. Alabama Natural Heritage Program. Montgomery, AL.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- TDNH [Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage]. 2018. Unpublished data. Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage, Nashville, TN.