Print Report
CEGL007708 Schizachyrium scoparium - Calamagrostis coarctata Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Little Bluestem - Nuttall''s Reedgrass Grassland
Colloquial Name: Southeastern Highland Rim Barrens (Little Bluestem - Reedgrass Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is a mesic native grassland from the Interior Low Plateau of Tennessee (Arnold Air Force Base, Coffee County, Tennessee). The only known example of this association is predominantly a mesic grassland being overgrown by woody species. The dominant grass is Schizachyrium scoparium (possibly var. divergens). Herbs dominate this community and are moderately diverse. Several species associated with mesic conditions are found here, including Rhexia mariana, Bartonia virginica, Platanthera ciliaris, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Osmunda cinnamomea, Mitchella repens, Chasmanthium laxum, Calamagrostis coarctata, Lycopodium digitatum, Polytrichum commune, and other mosses. Though Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana is quite abundant here, this community differs from Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana-dominated wooded herbaceous vegetation by containing far more additional woody species, such as Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Nyssa sylvatica, Betula nigra, Cornus florida, Oxydendrum arboreum, Vaccinium fuscatum, and various oaks (Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Quercus falcata, Quercus nigra, Quercus phellos). These species form relatively sparse canopy, subcanopy, tall-shrub and low-shrub strata.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Described from Arnold Air Force Base, Coffee County, Tennessee, where the Loop Road Barrens is the only example currently known of this community type. This vegetation is placed in herbaceous despite the fact that its current (1998) condition ranges from wooded herbaceous to woodland. Future management could easily lower the coverage of woody species. Several Tennessee state-rare species are located at this site and include Asclepias hirtella, Dichanthelium dichotomum var. ensifolium, Gymnopogon brevifolius, Lespedeza angustifolia, Listera australis, and Vaccinium macrocarpon (physiographic province record for Highland Rim in Tennessee).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The dominant grass in this association is Schizachyrium scoparium (possibly var. divergens). Herbs dominate this community and are moderately diverse. Several species associated with mesic conditions are found here, including Rhexia mariana, Bartonia virginica, Platanthera ciliaris, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Osmunda cinnamomea, Mitchella repens, Chasmanthium laxum, Calamagrostis coarctata, Lycopodium digitatum, Polytrichum commune, and other mosses. Though Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana is quite abundant here, this community differs from Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana-dominated wooded herbaceous vegetation by containing far more additional woody species, such as Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Nyssa sylvatica, Betula nigra, Cornus florida, Oxydendrum arboreum, Vaccinium fuscatum, and various oaks (Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Quercus falcata, Quercus nigra, Quercus phellos). Several Tennessee state-rare species are located at this site and include Asclepias hirtella, Dichanthelium dichotomum var. ensifolium (= Dichanthelium ensifolium), Gymnopogon brevifolius, Lespedeza angustifolia, Listera australis, and Vaccinium macrocarpon (physiographic province record for Highland Rim in Tennessee).
Dynamics: This vegetation is placed in herbaceous despite the fact that its current (1998) condition ranges from wooded herbaceous to woodland. Future management could easily lower the coverage of woody species.
Environmental Description: The only known example of this association is predominantly a mesic grassland being overgrown by woody species, at Arnold Air Force Base, Coffee County, Tennessee..
Geographic Range: This mesic native grassland is found in the Interior Low Plateau of Tennessee (Arnold Air Force Base, Coffee County, Tennessee).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689252
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNRQ
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.3 Little Bluestem - Dropseed species Central Interior Calcareous Scrub & Grassland Macrogroup | M508 | 2.B.2.Nc.3 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nc.3.a Big Bluestem - Little Bluestem - Ashy Sunflower Patch Prairie Group | G174 | 2.B.2.Nc.3.a |
| Alliance | A3890 Little Bluestem - Splitbeard Bluestem - Sideoats Grama Patch Prairie Alliance | A3890 | 2.B.2.Nc.3.a |
| Association | CEGL007708 Little Bluestem - Nuttall''s Reedgrass Grassland | CEGL007708 | 2.B.2.Nc.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Schizachyrium scoparium - Calamagrostis coarctata Herbaceous Vegetation (TNC 1998a)
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1998a. An investigation and assessment of the vegetation of Arnold Air Force Base. Coffee and Franklin counties, Tennessee. The Nature Conservancy, Tennessee Field Office, Nashville. 37 pp. plus appendices.