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CEGL003754 Juniperus virginiana - Fraxinus quadrangulata / Polymnia canadensis - (Astranthium integrifolium) Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern Red-cedar - Blue Ash / White-flower Leafcup - (Entireleaf Western-daisy) Woodland
Colloquial Name: Red-cedar - Blue Ash Limestone Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This woodland community is found on shallow soils of limestone slopes in the Central Basin and Cumberland Plateau escarpment of Tennessee and the Moulton Valley of Alabama; it may occur in association with limestone glades, on isolated eroded limestone knobs, on limestone ridges in the Highland Rim escarpment, or as a small patch within a matrix of dry to dry-mesic limestone oak forest (e.g., ~Quercus alba - Quercus rubra - Quercus muehlenbergii / Cercis canadensis Forest (CEGL002070)$$ or ~Quercus muehlenbergii - Quercus shumardii - Carya (carolinae-septentrionalis, ovata) Forest (CEGL007808)$$). Fraxinus quadrangulata and Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana dominate the canopy and the subcanopy, but the composition of these strata may vary. Juniperus may share canopy dominance with the Fraxinus or other deciduous trees or it may be present as a distinct subcanopy. Quercus spp. do not dominate the relatively short canopy or the open subcanopy, either of which may include Celtis laevigata, Celtis occidentalis, Cercis canadensis, Ulmus alata, and Ulmus serotina. The shrub stratum may include Quercus muehlenbergii, Forestiera ligustrina, Rhus aromatica, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Frangula caroliniana, Hypericum frondosum, and Viburnum rufidulum. Vines may include Bignonia capreolata and Smilax rotundifolia. Herbs which may be present include Polymnia canadensis, Symphyotrichum shortii, Astranthium integrifolium, Sedum pulchellum, Minuartia patula, Verbesina virginica, Opuntia humifusa, Commelina erecta var. angustifolia, Croton monanthogynus, Ruellia humilis, and Euphorbia dentata. The "herbaceous" stratum in some examples may contain greater coverage of ferns (Cheilanthes lanosa, Pellaea atropurpurea), mosses (e.g., Pleurochaete luteola, Thuidium delicatulum, Climacium americanum), and foliose lichens (Cladonia spp.) than of flowering herbs. Scattered individuals of the near-endemic legume Astragalus tennesseensis may be found in some examples adjacent to glades. This woodland develops on rocky sites, which contain outcrops of Ordovician (or Mississippian) limestone. Soils primarily accumulate in fissures between the limestone. The exotics Ailanthus altissima and Lonicera maackii may invade examples of this vegetation in the vicinity of Nashville, Tennessee.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This or related vegetation has been observed on isolated Mississippian limestone knobs by the Tennessee River in transitional areas between the Sequatchie Valley and the lower escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau (231Cc) on Cedar Mountain in Marion County, Tennessee (Bowen et al. 1995), or in southern Kentucky as small patches on rocky outcrops along the Cumberland River or major tributaries (J. Campbell pers. comm.). Related vegetation could be found in the Moulton Valley of Alabama (231Ce). Compare to ~Juniperus virginiana - Fraxinus quadrangulata / Symphyotrichum oblongifolium - Panicum flexile - Sedum pulchellum Woodland (CEGL004271)$$ of the Inner Bluegrass region of Kentucky. Fleming (1999), in a discussion of related vegetation in Virginia, mentions Tennessee data which may be related to this association: "In a study of woody vegetation in the Tennessee Central Basin, Crites and Clebsch (1986) found communities sorted along a topographic-moisture gradient. A "Carya - Juniperus - Quercus Community" was classified from subxeric upland habitats. The dominants of the Tennessee community (based on the importance values of woody species >2.5 cm dbh) were Fraxinus americana, either Carya ovata or Carya glabra (pignut hickory), and Juniperus virginiana. Fraxinus americana was considered a "local successional species," the densities of which were "masking" the importance values of oaks (Crites and Clebsch 1986). Implicit (but not directly stated) in this assessment is the concept that Quercus muehlenbergii and other oaks represent a more advanced successional stage on the subxeric uplands. Of course, without data on shrub and herbaceous composition, it is impossible to accurately evaluate the similarity of the Virginia and Tennessee communities" (Fleming 1999).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Fraxinus quadrangulata and Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana dominate the canopy and the subcanopy, but the composition of these strata may vary. Juniperus may share canopy dominance with the Fraxinus or other deciduous trees, or it may be present as a distinct subcanopy. Quercus spp. do not dominate the relatively short-stature canopy or the open subcanopy, either of which may include Celtis laevigata, Celtis occidentalis, Cercis canadensis, Ulmus alata, and Ulmus serotina. The shrub stratum may include Quercus muehlenbergii, Forestiera ligustrina, Rhus aromatica, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Frangula caroliniana, Hypericum frondosum, and Viburnum rufidulum. Vines may include Bignonia capreolata and Smilax rotundifolia. Herbs which may be present include Polymnia canadensis (= var. radiata), Symphyotrichum shortii (= Aster shortii), Astranthium integrifolium, Sedum pulchellum, Minuartia patula (= Arenaria patula), Verbesina virginica, Opuntia humifusa, Commelina erecta var. angustifolia, Croton monanthogynus, Ruellia humilis, and Euphorbia dentata. The "herbaceous" stratum in some examples may contain greater coverage of ferns (Cheilanthes lanosa, Pellaea atropurpurea), mosses (e.g., Pleurochaete luteola (= Pleurochaete squarrosa), Thuidium delicatulum, Climacium americanum), and foliose lichens (Cladonia spp.) than of flowering herbs.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This woodland community is found on shallow soils of limestone slopes in the Central Basin and Cumberland Plateau escarpment of Tennessee and the Moulton Valley of Alabama; it may occur in association with limestone glades, on isolated eroded limestone knobs, on limestone ridges in the Highland Rim escarpment, or as a small patch within a matrix of dry to dry-mesic limestone oak forest. This woodland develops on rocky sites, which contain outcrops of Ordovician (or Mississippian) limestone. Soils primarily accumulate in fissures between the limestone.
Geographic Range: This vegetation has a naturally restricted range of distribution, being limited to dry, limestone rocky areas in central Tennessee, northern Alabama, and related areas of Kentucky, such as small patches on rocky outcrops along the Cumberland River or major tributaries in southern Kentucky (J. Campbell pers. comm.). .
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL?, KY?, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688844
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.1 White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Shortleaf Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M016 | 1.B.2.Na.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.1.e Chinquapin Oak - Shumard Oak - Blue Ash Forest & Woodland Group | G601 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
| Alliance | A3273 Chinquapin Oak - Blue Ash - Eastern Red-cedar Woodland Alliance | A3273 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
| Association | CEGL003754 Eastern Red-cedar - Blue Ash / White-flower Leafcup - (Entireleaf Western-daisy) Woodland | CEGL003754 | 1.B.2.Na.1.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Carya - Juniperus - Quercus Community (Crites and Clebsch 1986)
< IB5b. Eastern Red Cedar Glade Border Woodland (Allard 1990)
< IB5b. Eastern Red Cedar Glade Border Woodland (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.
- Bowen, B., M. Pyne, and D. Withers. 1995. An ecological survey of selected tracts in the Tennessee River Gorge: A report to the Tennessee River Gorge Trust. Tennessee Natural Heritage Program, Department of Environment and Conservation, Nashville. 100 pp.
- Campbell, Julian J. N. Personal communication. Kentucky Field Office, The Nature Conservancy.
- Crites, G. D., and E. E. C. Clebsch. 1986. Woody vegetation in the inner Nashville Basin: An example from the Cheek Bend area of the central Duck River valley. ASB Bulletin 33:167-177.
- Fleming, G. P. 1999. Plant communities of limestone, dolomite, and other calcareous substrates in the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Natural Heritage Technical Report 99-4. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond. Unpublished report submitted to the USDA Forest Service. 218 pp. plus appendices.
- 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.