Print Report
CEGL003836 Arundinaria gigantea ssp. gigantea Wet Canebrake
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Giant Cane Wet Canebrake
Colloquial Name: Floodplain Canebrake
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is characterized by dense, often monospecific thickets of the bamboo shrub Arundinaria gigantea occupying large areas referred to as canebrakes. The canebrake shrubland type was historically widespread, but is now rare and occupies very little of its former acreage. It was best developed in streamside flats and alluvial floodplains on ridges and terraces where it was protected from prolonged inundation. Historically, this community covered large areas of many floodplains and streamsides in the Coastal Plain from North Carolina to Texas, Mississippi River Alluvial Plain, Interior Highlands, Interior Low Plateau, Southern Blue Ridge, Cumberland Mountains, and Western Allegheny Plateau of the southeastern United States. Stands occur on alluvial and loess soils and are often associated with bottomland hardwood forest vegetation. This association is successional and is thought to be maintained by periodic fires. It may have originated following abandonment of aboriginal agricultural fields or other natural and anthropogenic disturbances such as blow-downs and catastrophic floods. Historical accounts report cane as abundant along the Wabash and Ohio drainage systems, as well as common along larger rivers (Buffalo, White, Norfork) in the Ozarks and Ouachitas. It was also reported as common along the Red and Mississippi rivers in Louisiana, Coastal Prairie rivers in Texas, and the Black, Washita, Arkansas, Sabine, Pearl, Tombigbee, Yazoo, Savannah, and St. Mary''s rivers. Large, extant canebrakes still exist and have been documented from the Ocmulgee Basin, south of Macon, Georgia. In the Cumberland Mountains and Western Allegheny Plateau, streamside flats and bottomlands were dominated by Arundinaria, without an overstory, or with widely scattered trees.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This is a general placeholder, covering a broad geographic range, and several associations may ultimately be recognized. Dense, monospecific stands of Arundinaria gigantea were historically found in bottomland sites in the southeastern United States. Today, high-quality examples are extremely rare, if not absent. Historical accounts refer to both "pure" stands of cane without an overstory of trees (cane shrublands) and areas with variable overstory closure (woodlands or forests) but with a dense understory dominated by cane as "canebrakes."
In West Virginia, two plots from the valleys of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers are classified to this association. These stands are thought to be remnants of previously more extensive canebrakes that now persist under open tree canopies dominated by Acer negundo. Many place names in southwestern West Virginia that reference cane and remnant patches give clues to the former distribution and extent of canebrakes in the state. Historical accounts of canebrakes along the Kanawha and Ohio rivers are given by Thomas Nuttall (1821) and by George Washington in the late 1700s (Jackson and Twohig 1976).
In West Virginia, two plots from the valleys of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers are classified to this association. These stands are thought to be remnants of previously more extensive canebrakes that now persist under open tree canopies dominated by Acer negundo. Many place names in southwestern West Virginia that reference cane and remnant patches give clues to the former distribution and extent of canebrakes in the state. Historical accounts of canebrakes along the Kanawha and Ohio rivers are given by Thomas Nuttall (1821) and by George Washington in the late 1700s (Jackson and Twohig 1976).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation is dominated by Arundinaria gigantea. Little else is known about its vegetational characteristics. However, information on its historic patterns of distribution provides some clues as to its ecology. General Land Office surveys and other historical accounts indicate that canebrakes were present in southern Illinois, southern Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, eastern Texas (south to Wharton County), Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Historical accounts refer to both "pure" stands of cane without an overstory of trees (cane shrublands) and areas with variable overstory closure (woodlands or forests) but with a dense understory dominated by cane as "canebrakes." Cane was abundant along the Wabash and Ohio drainage systems (B. McClain pers. comm. 2000). In Missouri, these canebrakes were also thought to be common in the Ozark Highlands, particularly in southward-draining rivers and streams with finer-textured, more developed soils on upper floodplain terraces (T. Nigh pers. comm. 2000). Stands may be found along larger rivers (Buffalo, White, Norfork) in the Arkansas Ozarks in addition to the Ouachitas. Historic accounts describe large expanses (one area was described as 75 miles long by 1-3 miles wide) of an "ocean of cane" in bottomlands of the Coastal Prairie of Texas (Smeins et al. 1992). No extant occurrences of this vegetation are known from this area today. In the Cumberland Mountains and Western Allegheny Plateau of West Virginia, numerous streamside flats and bottomlands were dominated by Arundinaria. Remnant patches persist under canopies of Acer saccharinum, Acer negundo, and Platanus occidentalis. Associated species with low cover in two West Virginia plots include Magnolia acuminata, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Verbesina alternifolia, Hydrophyllum canadense, and species of Impatiens and Viola. Small patches of Arundinaria gigantea without a tree canopy have also been documented in disturbed areas.
Dynamics: A canebrake is an early-successional community. It is suggested that Native Americans maintained canebrakes with the use of periodic fire to provide a ready source of cane for a myriad of uses. Canebrakes may have expanded greatly in cover following the abandonment of aboriginal agricultural lands after the collapse of Native American populations due to exotic diseases (Platt and Brantley 1997).
Environmental Description: Stands of this association occur on alluvial and loess soils often affiliated with bottomland hardwood forest vegetation. Historically, it was best developed in streamside flats and alluvial floodplains on ridges and terraces where it was protected from prolonged inundation.
Geographic Range: This association was widespread historically but now occupies very little acreage. It may be found along rivers and streamsides in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and possibly Virginia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, AR, FL?, GA, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA?, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687779
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.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.2 Broadleaf Cattail - White Snakeroot - Rush species Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M069 | 2.C.4.Nd.2 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.2.b Common Buttonbush / Sedge species Central Interior Wet Meadow & Shrubland Group | G599 | 2.C.4.Nd.2.b |
| Alliance | A0795 Giant Cane Wet Canebrake Alliance | A0795 | 2.C.4.Nd.2.b |
| Association | CEGL003836 Giant Cane Wet Canebrake | CEGL003836 | 2.C.4.Nd.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Arundinaria gigantea ssp. gigantea Shrubland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
> Arundinaria gigantea Floodplain Woodland [Giant Cane Woodland] (Vanderhorst 2017a)
? P5A4bIII4a. Arundinaria gigantea (Foti et al. 1994)
> Arundinaria gigantea Floodplain Woodland [Giant Cane Woodland] (Vanderhorst 2017a)
? P5A4bIII4a. Arundinaria gigantea (Foti et al. 1994)
- Barden, L. S. 1997. Historic prairies in the Piedmont of North and South Carolina, USA. Natural Areas Journal 17 (2):149-152.
- Blair, W. F. 1938. Ecological relationships of the mammals of the Bird Creek region, northeastern Oklahoma. The American Midland Naturalist 20:473-526.
- CAP [Central Appalachian Forest Working Group]. 1998. Central Appalachian Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.
- Campbell, J. J. N. 1980a. Present and presettlement forest conditions in the Inner Bluegrass region of Kentucky. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Kentucky, Lexington. 109 pp. [Excerpts only]
- Campbell, J. J. N. 1989b. Historical evidence of presettlement forest composition in the Inner Bluegrass of Kentucky. Pages 231-246 in: G. Rink and C. A. Budelsky, editors. Proceedings of the Seventh Central Hardwood Forest Conference, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
- Chastain, R. A., M.A. Struckhoff, K. W. Grabner, E. D. Stroh, H. He, D. R. Larsen, T. A. Nigh, and J. Drake. 2006. Mapping vegetation communities in Ozark National Scenic Riverways: Final technical report to the National Park Service. Open-File Report 2006-1354. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. 90 pp. plus appendices.
- Davidson, U. M. 1950. The original vegetation of Lexington, Kentucky and vicinity. M.S. thesis, University of Kentucky, Lexington. 45 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Flores, D. L. 1984. Jefferson and southwestern exploration. The Freeman and Curtis accounts of the Red River Expedition of 1806. University of Oklahoma Press.
- 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.
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
- Heineke, T. E. 1987. The flora and plant communities of the middle Mississippi River Valley. Ph.D. dissertation, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 653 pp.
- Hoagland, B. 2000. The vegetation of Oklahoma: A classification for landscape mapping and conservation planning. The Southwestern Naturalist 45(4):385-420.
- Hoagland, B. W. 1997. Preliminary plant community classification for Oklahoma. Unpublished draft document, version 35629. University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, Norman. 47 pp.
- Hoagland, B. W. 1998c. Oklahoma riparian vegetation. In: A. Fallon and M. Smolen, editors. Riparian area management handbook. Publication number E-952. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.
- Hop, K., M. Pyne, T. Foti, S. Lubinski, R. White, and J. Dieck. 2012a. National Park Service vegetation inventory program: Buffalo National River, Arkansas. Natural Resource Report NPS/HTLN/NRR--2012/526. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 340 pp.
- Hughes, R. H. 1966. Fire ecology of canebrakes. Proceedings of the Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference 5:149-158.
- Jackson, D., and D. Twohig, editors. 1976. The diaries of George Washington. Volume II 1766-70. Published by University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville.
- McClain, W. E. Personal communication. Ecologist, Illinois Department of Natural Heritage.
- McInteer, B. B. 1952. Original vegetation in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. Castanea 17:153-164.
- Meanley, B. 1972. Swamps, river bottoms and canebrakes. Barre Publishing, Barre, MA. 142 pp.
- Mohr, C. T. 1901. Plant life of Alabama. Contributions to the U.S. National Herbarium No. 6. Washington, DC. 921 pp.
- Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.
- Nelson, P. 2010. The terrestrial natural communities of Missouri. Revised edition. Missouri Natural Areas Committee, Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Conservation, Jefferson City.
- Nigh, Tim A. Personal communication. Ecologist, Missouri Conservation Commission, Jefferson City.
- Nuttall, T. 1821. A journal of travels into the Arkansas territory during the year 1819. T. H. Palmer, Philadelphia. (Re-published 1980. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.)
- Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. No date. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Platt, S. G., and C. G. Brantley. 1992. The management and restoration of switchcane (Louisiana). Restoration Management Notes 10:84-85.
- Platt, S. G., and C. G. Brantley. 1997. Canebrakes: An ecological and historical perspective. Castanea 62:8-21.
- Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Smeins, F. E., D. D. Diamond, and C. W. Hanselka. 1992. Coastal Prairie. Pages 269-290 in: R. T. Coupland, editor. Natural Grasslands. Elsevier, New York.
- 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.
- Vanderhorst, J. 2017a. Wild vegetation of West Virginia: High floodplain forests and woodlands. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program. [http://wvdnr.gov/Wildlife/Factsheets/HighFloodplain.shtm]
- WVNHP [West Virginia Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, Elkins.
- West, E. M. 1934. Canebrakes of the southeastern United States. Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio State University, Columbus.
- White, J., and M. Madany. 1978. Classification of natural communities in Illinois. Pages 311-405 in: Natural Areas Inventory technical report: Volume I, survey methods and results. Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, Urbana, IL.
- White, Jr., R. D. 2004. Vascular plant inventory and plant community classification for Cowpens National Battlefield. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 126 pp.
- White, R. D., Jr., and T. Govus. 2003. Vascular plant inventory and plant community classification for Ninety Six National Historic Site. Prepared for the National Park Service. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 146 pp.