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CEGL007145 Chamaecyparis thyoides - Pinus elliottii / Nyssa biflora - Acer rubrum var. trilobum / Serenoa repens Swamp Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Atlantic White-cedar - Slash Pine / Swamp Tupelo - Carolina Red Maple / Saw Palmetto Swamp Forest
Colloquial Name: Gulf Coastal Plain Atlantic White-cedar Swamp Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This forest is dominated by a mixed Chamaecyparis thyoides - Pinus elliottii var. elliottii canopy which typically ranges between 65 and 80% cover. A subcanopy of Nyssa biflora and Acer rubrum var. trilobum is present. Sabal palmetto and Serenoa repens are abundant on hummocks. This saturated forest association is restricted to the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Mississippi, Florida, and possibly Alabama. It occurs in large, constantly saturated basins or poorly drained flats which are inundated under several feet of water during the high precipitation/low evapotranspiration period of spring. The sandy subsoil is overtopped by thick peat and muck. Fire is an infrequent event.
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: This forest is dominated by a mixed Chamaecyparis thyoides - Pinus elliottii var. elliottii canopy which typically ranges between 65 and 80% cover. A subcanopy of Nyssa biflora and Acer rubrum var. trilobum is present. Sabal palmetto and Serenoa repens are abundant on hummocks. Along the New River, Apalachicola National Forest, additional tree species were Taxodium ascendens, Quercus laurifolia, Pinus palustris, and Nyssa ogeche. Additional shrubs include Cyrilla racemiflora, Ilex myrtifolia, Ilex coriacea, Magnolia virginiana, Lyonia lucida, Hypericum fasciculatum, Fraxinus caroliniana, Persea palustris, Vaccinium stamineum, and Ilex opaca. Smilax laurifolia was an important vine. Herbs include Carex glaucescens, Eriocaulon decangulare, Aristida beyrichiana, Xyris ambigua, Aristida palustris, Erigeron vernus, Rhynchospora sp., Oxypolis filiformis, Dichanthelium scoparium, Eriocaulon compressum, and Peltandra sp.
Dynamics: Natural hydrologic regimes and fire-return times need to be maintained for successful regeneration and maintenance of this community. It is very susceptible to major disruptions in hydrology; rapid, prolonged change in water depth kills Chamaecyparis thyoides seedlings and stresses or kills mature specimens. Leaf litter and woody debris should not be too dense in order for the shade-intolerant Chamaecyparis thyoides seedlings to survive. In the absence of fire and adequate gap regeneration, Atlantic white cedar forests may be replaced by bay forest dominated by Magnolia virginiana, Persea palustris, and Gordonia lasianthus.
Environmental Description: This community occurs in large, constantly saturated basins which are inundated under several feet of water during the high-precipitation/low-evapotranspiration period of spring. It also occurs along the slow-moving New River on Apalachicola National Forest. The sandy subsoil is overtopped by thick peat and muck. Fire is an infrequent event.
Geographic Range: This saturated forest association is restricted to the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Mississippi, Florida, and possibly Alabama.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL?, FL, MS
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688311
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Nb Southeastern North American Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D062 | 1.B.3.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nb.3 Sweetbay - Swamp Bay - Pond Pine Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M032 | 1.B.3.Nb.3 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Nb.3.a Sweetbay - Loblolly-bay - Pond Pine Swamp Forest Group | G037 | 1.B.3.Nb.3.a |
| Alliance | A0196 Atlantic White-cedar Swamp Forest Alliance | A0196 | 1.B.3.Nb.3.a |
| Association | CEGL007145 Atlantic White-cedar - Slash Pine / Swamp Tupelo - Carolina Red Maple / Saw Palmetto Swamp Forest | CEGL007145 | 1.B.3.Nb.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < IIA2b. Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Forest (Allard 1990)
< White cedar (Clewell and Ward 1987)
< White cedar (Clewell and Ward 1987)
- 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.
- Clewell, A. F., and D. B. Ward. 1987. White cedar in Florida and along the northern Gulf Coast. Pages 69-81 in: A. D. Laderman, editor. Atlantic white cedar wetlands. Westview Press, Boulder, CO. 401 pp.
- FNAI [Florida Natural Areas Inventory]. 2010a. Guide to the natural communities of Florida: 2010 edition. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FL. 228 pp. [https://fnai.org/naturalcommguide.cfm]
- MSNHP [Mississippi Natural Heritage Program]. 2006. Ecological communities of Mississippi. Museum of Natural Science, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Jackson, MS. 9 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.