Print Report
CEGL007825 Quercus marilandica var. ashei / Schizachyrium scoparium - Andropogon gerardii - Monarda stipitatoglandulosa / Lichens Novaculite Glade Wooded Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ashe''s Blackjack Oak / Little Bluestem - Big Bluestem - Ouachita Beebalm / Lichens Novaculite Glade Wooded Grassland
Colloquial Name: Ouachita Novaculite Glade
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs in the novaculite uplift section of the central Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and probably ranges into Oklahoma. It is found on ridgetops and south-facing sideslopes over fractured outcrops of novaculite, a hard, siliceous rock. This community is a xeric, open habitat characterized by sparse tree cover of dwarfed (1-3 m) Quercus marilandica var. ashei, which can sometimes occur in clumps. Herbaceous cover is 100% except where bare rock is exposed or on talus. Lichens cover 40-70% of the exposed rock surface. Other occasional trees include Acer floridanum, Carya texana, Pinus echinata, Prunus mexicana, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus rubra, Quercus stellata, Quercus velutina, and Ulmus alata. Shrub cover is typically sparse, but may be locally dense and can include Prunus mexicana, Rhus aromatica, Celtis tenuifolia, Frangula caroliniana, Ptelea trifoliata, Ribes curvatum, Rubus sp., and Sideroxylon lanuginosum. The dominant grasses are Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon gerardii, Danthonia spicata, Muhlenbergia sobolifera, and Dichanthelium linearifolium. Forbs are abundant. These glade openings can range in size from small (less than one hectare) to larger, often linear formations covering as much as 40 hectares. In places it is a small-patch community occurring on ridgetops within ~Quercus rubra / Ostrya virginiana / Ptelea trifoliata - Ribes curvatum / Helianthus divaricatus Woodland (CEGL007828)$$. In other areas it is a large-patch community on south-facing slopes forming a mosaic with xeric woodland communities.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: High-quality examples occur in the Ouachita National Forest with the Roaring Branch Research Natural Area representing an essentially undisturbed, but fire-suppressed, example. The type locality is in Polk County, Arkansas. Other examples are known from Montgomery, Garland, and Hot Spring counties and are likely to occur in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. A related woodland type is ~Quercus stellata - Ulmus alata - (Juniperus virginiana) / Sporobolus clandestinus - Monarda stipitatoglandulosa Woodland (CEGL003756)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This novaculite glade community is characterized by sparse tree cover of dwarfed (1-3 m) Quercus marilandica var. ashei. Herbaceous cover is 100% except where bare rock is exposed or on talus. Lichens cover 40-70% of the exposed rock surface. Other occasional trees include Acer floridanum (= Acer barbatum), Carya texana, Pinus echinata, Prunus mexicana, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus rubra, Quercus stellata, Quercus velutina, and Ulmus alata. Shrub cover is typically sparse, but may be locally dense and can include Prunus mexicana, Rhus aromatica, Celtis tenuifolia, Frangula caroliniana, Ptelea trifoliata, Ribes curvatum, Rubus sp., and Sideroxylon lanuginosum (= Bumelia lanuginosa). The dominant grasses are Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon gerardii, Danthonia spicata, Muhlenbergia sobolifera, and Dichanthelium linearifolium. Other grasses present include Aristida dichotoma var. curtissii, Aristida purpurascens, Bromus pubescens, Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon var. isophyllum, and Elymus canadensis. Typical forbs include Helianthus divaricatus, Helianthus hirsutus, Liatris squarrosa, Monarda stipitatoglandulosa (= Monarda fistulosa var. stipitatoglandulosa), and Solidago petiolaris. Other herbaceous plants that can occasionally be found in this community are Acalypha virginica, Allium canadense, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Asclepias verticillata, Symphyotrichum patens (= Aster patens), Symphyotrichum anomalum (= Aster anomalus), Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, Cheilanthes lanosa, Coreopsis lanceolata, Croton michauxii var. ellipticus (= Croton willdenowii), Delphinium carolinianum, Desmodium marilandicum, Desmodium nudiflorum, Echinacea pallida, Erigeron philadelphicus, Euphorbia cyathophora, Euphorbia dentata, Hypericum gentianoides, Lespedeza capitata, Manfreda virginica, Opuntia humifusa (= var. humifusa), Oxalis violacea, Passiflora lutea, Scutellaria elliptica var. elliptica, Senna marilandica, Streptanthus maculatus, Stylosanthes biflora, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Phemeranthus calycinus (= Talinum calycinum), Tephrosia virginiana, and Tradescantia ohiensis.
Dynamics: This community is mostly edaphically controlled. Fire suppression may decrease the extent of the glade openings and allow a change in structure through increased coverage by shrubs and trees. The trees, when present, are dwarfed and often multi-stemmed from drought die-back. Summer leaf loss is common.
Environmental Description: These glades occur on novaculite outcrops and rubble with shallow or no soil formation. They can be flat or steeply sloped. Novaculite is a weakly metamorphosed rock of sedimentary origin as a bedded, virtually pure silica chert deposited under geosynclinal conditions. It is primarily composed of microcrystalline quartz and chalcedony. The Arkansas Novaculite formation is of Devonian and Mississippian age and consists of novaculite interbedded with some shale. It ranges in thickness from about 76 to 275 m (250-900 feet) (Arkansas Geological Commission 2001, Babcock et al. 2001).
Geographic Range: This community occurs in the central Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and probably ranges into Oklahoma.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AR, OK
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687744
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.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nc Eastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D024 | 2.B.2.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nc.2 Little Bluestem - Silky Oatgrass Acidic Scrub & Grassland Macrogroup | M509 | 2.B.2.Nc.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nc.2.b Little Bluestem - Silky Oatgrass Acidic Glade & Barrens Group | G178 | 2.B.2.Nc.2.b |
| Alliance | A1920 Post Oak - Blackjack Oak / Little Bluestem Interior Acidic Bedrock Scrub Alliance | A1920 | 2.B.2.Nc.2.b |
| Association | CEGL007825 Ashe''s Blackjack Oak / Little Bluestem - Big Bluestem - Ouachita Beebalm / Lichens Novaculite Glade Wooded Grassland | CEGL007825 | 2.B.2.Nc.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? IE6c. Ouachita Novaculite Glade/Outcrop (Allard 1990)
- Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.
- Arkansas Geological Commission. 2001. Novaculite. [http://www.state.ar.us/agc/novaculi.htm]. (accessed December 10, 2001)
- Babcock, L. L., and others. 2001. Novaculite -- the Arkansas sharpening stone. [http://www.knifeart.com/knifeart/novarsharsto.html] (accessed 10 December 2001).
- Campbell, J. J. N., S. Walker, and D. Zollner. 1996. Technical assessment to: An ecological assessment of forest lands in Arkansas and Oklahoma proposed for inclusion into the Ouachita National Forest and Cossatot National Wildlife Refuge. Unpublished report by The Nature Conservancy. 114 pp.
- Foti, T., compiler. 1994b. Natural vegetation classification system of Arkansas, draft five. Unpublished document. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock. 8 pp.
- Fountain, M. S., and J. M. Sweeney. 1985. Ecological assessment of the Roaring Branch Research Natural Area. Research Paper SO-213. USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station, New Orleans, LA. 15 pp.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Smith, S., D. Zollner, and S. Simon. 2000. Reassessment of Roaring Branch Research Natural Area. Unpublished technical report. The Nature Conservancy, Arkansas Field Office, Little Rock.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.