Print Report
CEGL002072 Quercus macrocarpa / Cornus drummondii / Aralia nudicaulis Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bur Oak / Roughleaf Dogwood / Wild Sarsaparilla Forest
Colloquial Name: Central Bur Oak Mesic Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community is found in the central tallgrass prairie region of the midwestern United States. It typically occurs on gentle to steep slopes of draws and bluffs, historically where firebreaks occurred. Soils in the northern part of the range include well-drained sandy loams to loams formed in glacial till, and in the southern part include silty to sand loams formed primarily in loess and glacial till. The tree layer is a closed canopy dominated by Quercus macrocarpa with a mixture of shade-tolerant trees, such as Celtis occidentalis, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Ulmus americana, and Ulmus rubra, and further north Populus tremuloides. Occasionally Tilia americana or Quercus rubra are present. The shrub layer is often prominent, dominated by Amelanchier alnifolia in the north and Cornus drummondii in the south. Other species shared across the range include Prunus virginiana, Ribes missouriense, Rubus occidentalis, Symphoricarpos occidentalis, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, and Zanthoxylum americanum. Vines include Celastrus scandens, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, and Toxicodendron radicans. The herbaceous layer can be quite sparse. Common species include Aralia nudicaulis, Carex assiniboinensis, Carex blanda, Elymus villosus, Galium boreale, Geum canadense, Maianthemum stellatum, Osmorhiza longistylis, Poa pratensis, Polygonatum biflorum, and Viola sororia.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Stands in Iowa need review, since this type may not be as dry as those stands [but see Rosburg and Glenn-Lewin (1996)]. A Quercus macrocarpa / Ostrya virginiana phase may better describe the Iowa stands. This type may represent advanced succession of many Quercus macrocarpa woodland stands that historically had a fire-disturbance history. As a result, many of the forest stands may be depauperate floristically. Further comparisons are needed with more mesic bur oak stands in northwestern Ontario and northwestern Minnesota.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The tree layer is a closed canopy dominated by Quercus macrocarpa with a mixture of shade-tolerant trees, such as Celtis occidentalis, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Ulmus americana, and Ulmus rubra, and farther north Populus tremuloides. Occasionally Ostrya virginiana, Tilia americana or Quercus rubra are present. The shrub layer is often prominent, dominated by Amelanchier alnifolia in the north and Cornus drummondii in the south. Other species shared across the range include Prunus virginiana, Ribes missouriense, Rubus occidentalis, Symphoricarpos occidentalis, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, and Zanthoxylum americanum. Vines include Celastrus scandens, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, and Toxicodendron radicans. The herbaceous layer can be quite sparse. Common species include Aralia nudicaulis, Carex assiniboinensis, Carex blanda, Elymus villosus, Galium boreale, Geum canadense, Maianthemum stellatum, Osmorhiza longistylis, Poa pratensis, Polygonatum biflorum, and Viola sororia (Rosburg and Glenn-Lewin 1996, Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003). There may a shift in composition between the Iowa-Nebraska stands and the stands farther north. The more characteristic set of northern U.S. species include Amelanchier alnifolia, Carex assiniboinensis, and Aralia nudicaulis, and the more central U.S. species include Cornus drummondii. Poa pratensis, generally considered an exotic, can dominate the ground layer across the range of the type.
Dynamics: Many stands of this community type have apparently originated post-settlement (after 1850). In the Loess Hills and central region of Iowa there were few reports of Quercus macrocarpa stands, except as scattered Quercus macrocarpa in tallgrass prairie. Since then, many of these spots have succeeded to Quercus macrocarpa woodland and forest (Rosburg and Glenn-Lewin 1996, Johnson-Groh et al. 1987). These reports can be duplicated throughout the range of this type. Currently there is very little regeneration of Quercus macrocarpa in these stands (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003).
Environmental Description: This community is found in the central tallgrass prairie region of the midwestern United States. It typically occurs on gentle to steep slopes of draws and bluffs, where, historically, firebreaks occurred. Soils in the northern part of the range include well-drained sandy loams to loams formed in glacial till, and in the southern part include silty to sand loams formed primarily in loess and glacial till (Rosburg and Glenn-Lewin 1996, Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003).
Geographic Range: This community is found in the central tallgrass prairie region of the midwestern United States, extending from western Iowa and eastern Nebraska westward to the Dakotas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: IA, NE, SD
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688319
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4
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.4 White Oak - Bur Oak - Shagbark Hickory Forest, Woodland & Savanna Macrogroup | M012 | 1.B.2.Na.4 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.4.b North-Central Oak - Hickory Forest & Woodland Group | G649 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A0620 Bur Oak Central Tallgrass Woodland Alliance | A0620 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Association | CEGL002072 Bur Oak / Roughleaf Dogwood / Wild Sarsaparilla Forest | CEGL002072 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus macrocarpa / (Amelanchier alnifolia, Cornus drummondii) / Aralia nudicaulis Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
< Bur Oak-Bitternut Hickory Community (Weaver 1965)
< Eastern Deciduous Forest Community (Rolfsmeier 1988)
< Bur Oak-Bitternut Hickory Community (Weaver 1965)
< Eastern Deciduous Forest Community (Rolfsmeier 1988)
- 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.).
- Hop, K., D. Faber-Langendoen, M. Lew-Smith, N. Aaseng, and S. Lubinski. [1999]. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. USDI U.S. Geological Survey, La Crosse, WI. 210 pp.
- INAI [Iowa Natural Areas Inventory]. 2017. Vegetation classification of Iowa. Iowa Natural Areas Inventory, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines.
- Johnson-Groh, C. L., D. Q. Lewis, and J. F. Shearer. 1987. Vegetation communities and flora of Dolliver State Park, Webster County, Iowa. Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science 94(3):84-88 plus maps.
- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- NDNHI [North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory]. 2018. Unpublished data. Vegetation classification of North Dakota. North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory, North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department, Bismarck.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B. 1988. The vascular flora and plant communities of Seward County, Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 16:91-113.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B., and G. Steinauer. 2010. Terrestrial ecological systems and natural communities of Nebraska (Version IV - March 9, 2010). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, NE. 228 pp.
- Rosburg, T. R., and D. C. Glenn-Lewin. 1996. Species composition and environmental characteristics of grassland and ecotonal plant communities in the Loess Hills of western Iowa (USA). Natural Areas Journal 16:318-334.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Steinauer, G., and S. Rolfsmeier. 2003. Terrestrial natural communities of Nebraska. (Version III - June 30, 2003). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln. 163 pp.
- Weaver, J. E. 1965. Native vegetation of Nebraska. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. 185 pp.