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CEGL008471 (Salix caroliniana, Rhododendron arborescens) / Andropogon gerardii - Baptisia australis - (Solidago simplex ssp. randii) Riverscour Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Coastal Plain Willow, Smooth Azalea) / Big Bluestem - Blue Wild Indigo - (Rand''s Goldenrod) Riverscour Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: Cumberland Riverside Scour Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This riverside rock outcrop, gravel bar, or cobble bar community of the Cumberlands of Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia occurs on open, flood-scoured exposures of bedrock, as well as open substrates composed of siliceous cobbles and/or gravels on major rivers or high-order streams. Typically a gradient from dry acidic conditions higher on the bank to moist, fairly enriched conditions lower down may exist at any one site. This community is prone to flooding in the upper regions and deposition in the topographically lower areas. It is also prone to severe drought periods that may stress or kill some vegetation. Flood scouring may become a powerful and ecologically important abrasive force along the riverbanks. Soils are rapidly drained Psamments, and may be restricted to the narrow interstices of tightly packed boulders, or to small crevices in bedrock exposures. Within the community the species are distributed patchily due to microsite conditions. The amount of variability in species composition has not been measured, but the sites included show substantial variation. This community is characterized by a luxuriant growth of robust grasses, including Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Panicum virgatum, which resemble prairie vegetation. Tripsacum dactyloides may also occur. Other characteristic species include Schizachyrium scoparium, Baptisia australis, Solidago simplex var. randii, Toxicodendron radicans, Ionactis linariifolius, Liatris squarrulosa, Coreopsis tripteris, Cornus amomum, Spiraea virginiana, Itea virginica, Rhododendron arborescens, and Salix caroliniana.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: In the Clear Fork River and the New River of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area of Tennessee, the cobble bar habitat is dominated by Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium (Bailey and Coe 2001). Other herbs common here are Ionactis linariifolius, Pityopsis graminifolia var. latifolia, Coreopsis pubescens, Hypericum virgatum (= Hypericum denticulatum var. acutifolium), Ipomoea pandurata, Liatris microcephala, Mimosa microphylla (= Schrankia microphylla), Oenothera fruticosa, Phlox amoena, Phlox maculata, Solidago simplex var. racemosa, Stylosanthes biflora, and Tephrosia virginiana. Other associated species include Conradina verticillata and Physocarpus opulifolius. The river margins of the cobble bars are thickly vegetated by Alnus serrulata, Betula nigra, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, and Salix nigra (Bailey and Coe 2001). Some additional species recorded from sandy and cobble zones of Tennessee occurrences (TDNH unpubl. data) include Apocynum cannabinum, Arnoglossum atriplicifolium (= Cacalia atriplicifolia), Baptisia australis, Calamovilfa arcuata, Chrysopsis mariana, Coreopsis auriculata, Coreopsis major, Euphorbia corollata, Helenium autumnale, Lespedeza sp., Liatris squarrulosa, Ligusticum canadense, Liquidambar styraciflua, Marshallia grandiflora, Phlox paniculata, Physostegia virginiana, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Rudbeckia hirta, Rudbeckia laciniata, Silphium trifoliatum, Smilax bona-nox, Solidago rugosa, Viola pedata, and Yucca filamentosa. Some Tennessee occurrences (e.g., Leatherwood Ford in Big South Fork NRRA) may have Fothergilla major; Kentucky ones may contain Comptonia peregrina. In Georgia examples (Lula Lake and Cloudland Canyon State Park), Spiraea virginiana and Calamovilfa arcuata are significant components; these occur on high-order streams (Bear Creek and Rock Creek).
Dynamics: Typically a gradient from dry acidic conditions higher on the bank to moist, fairly enriched conditions lower down may exist at any one site. This community is prone to flooding in the upper regions and deposition in the topographically lower areas. It is also prone to severe drought periods that may stress or kill some vegetation. Flood scouring may become a powerful and ecologically important abrasive force along the riverbanks. Soils are rapidly drained Psamments, and may be restricted to the narrow interstices of tightly packed boulders, or to small crevices in bedrock exposures. Within the community the species are distributed patchily probably due to microsite conditions. The amount of variability in species composition has not been measured, but the sites included show substantial variation.
Environmental Description: Stands may be found on both gravel and bedrock substrates that are scoured by spring floods. Stands occur on open, flood-scoured exposures of bedrock, as well as open substrates composed of siliceous cobbles and/or gravels on major rivers and high-order streams.
Geographic Range: This community is restricted to scoured rivershores in the Cumberlands of Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA, KY, TN, TV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687533
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D323 | 2.C.4.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nd.4 Eastern North American Riverscour Vegetation Macrogroup | M881 | 2.C.4.Nd.4 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.4.a Central Interior-Appalachian Riverscour Barrens & Prairie Group | G753 | 2.C.4.Nd.4.a |
| Alliance | A2069 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass Appalachian Gravel Riverscour Alliance | A2069 | 2.C.4.Nd.4.a |
| Association | CEGL008471 (Coastal Plain Willow, Smooth Azalea) / Big Bluestem - Blue Wild Indigo - (Rand''s Goldenrod) Riverscour Wet Meadow | CEGL008471 | 2.C.4.Nd.4.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Cobble Bars (Bailey and Coe 2001)
= Riparian Shrub - Herb Type (Schmalzer and DeSelm 1982)
= Riparian Shrub - Herb Type (Schmalzer and DeSelm 1982)
- Bailey, C. J., Jr., and F. G. Coe. 2001. The vascular flora of the riparian zones of the Clear Fork River and the New River in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (BSFNRRA). Castanea 66(3):252-274.
- Evans, M., B. Yahn, and M. Hines. 2009. Natural communities of Kentucky 2009. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfort, KY. 22 pp.
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
- Schmalzer, P. A., and H. R. DeSelm. 1982. Vegetation, endangered and threatened plants, critical plant habitats and vascular flora of the Obed Wild and Scenic River. Unpublished report. USDI National Park Service, Obed Wild and Scenic River. 2 volumes. 369 pp.
- 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.