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CEGL007963 Quercus falcata - Carya illinoinensis / Silphium integrifolium - Panicum anceps - (Carex cherokeensis) Mesic Wooded Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Southern Red Oak - Pecan / Wholeleaf Rosinweed - Beaked Panicgrass - (Cherokee Sedge) Mesic Wooded Grassland
Colloquial Name: Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain Mesic Blackland Savanna
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mesic blackland savanna community occurs in areas of deep, moist soil usually on nearly level or gentle terrain on the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas. Dominant tree species include Quercus falcata and Carya illinoinensis. High- or medium-quality examples of this savanna do not exist; typical herbaceous vegetation would likely be similar to the adjacent Sorghastrum nutans - Schizachyrium scoparium - Echinacea pallida - Dalea purpurea var. purpurea dry-mesic and Sorghastrum nutans - Andropogon glomeratus - Lythrum alatum - Symphyotrichum puniceum - Tripsacum dactyloides mesic blackland prairie herbaceous vegetation which it grades into. A large example is known from Grandview Prairie. The type location is in Hempstead County, Arkansas. Other examples likely occur in Howard County, Arkansas.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: There is a problem identifying Quercus pagoda and Quercus falcata in the blackland ecosystem as they appear to intergrade. The Quercus falcata on dry-mesic, slightly acid soils is typical and keys out well; the Quercus pagoda in the temporarily flooded, calcareous riparian areas also keys out well, on the tabletops where you have deep soil mesic conditions they are difficult to distinguish; so we left it as Quercus falcata although they have Quercus pagoda characteristics (Simon/Zollner 10-99).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Dominant tree species in this mesic blackland savanna vegetation include Quercus falcata and Carya illinoinensis. The trees are medium-tall to 13.7 m (45 feet), with large spreading crowns. Basal area averages 25 square feet per acre with 25 stems over 5 cm (2 inches) dbh per acre. The herbaceous vegetation is tall (1.8+ m [6+ feet]) and dense. Other woody species include Cornus drummondii, Carya myristiciformis, Celtis laevigata, Cercis canadensis, Crataegus marshallii, Crataegus spathulata, Diospyros virginiana, Fraxinus americana, Gleditsia triacanthos, Juniperus virginiana, Maclura pomifera, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus nigra, Quercus shumardii, Quercus stellata, Pinus echinata, Pinus taeda, Rhus copallinum, Smilax bona-nox, Toxicodendron radicans, Ulmus alata, Ulmus americana, and Ulmus crassifolia occurring as occasional saplings, shrubs, and woody vines. The dominant herbaceous species include Carex cherokeensis, Schedonorus arundinaceus (= Festuca arundinacea) (exotic), and Panicum anceps. Other herbaceous species include Acacia angustissima var. hirta, Agalinis sp., Allium canadense var. canadense, Ambrosia trifida, Apocynum cannabinum, Asclepias viridis, Symphyotrichum spp. (= Aster spp.), Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (= Aster novae-angliae), Arnoglossum plantagineum (= Cacalia tuberosa), Campsis radicans, Chamaecrista fasciculata, Dactylis glomerata, Daucus carota, Desmanthus illinoensis, Desmodium paniculatum, Echinacea purpurea, Elymus virginicus, Eupatorium altissimum, Euphorbia bicolor, Euthamia leptocephala, Helenium flexuosum, Helianthus grosseserratus, Liatris aspera, Lythrum alatum, Medicago lupulina, Passiflora incarnata, Penstemon digitalis, Poa sp., Pleopeltis polypodioides (= Polypodium polypodioides), Prunella vulgaris, Pteridium aquilinum, Rosa carolina, Rosa setigera, Rubus trivialis, Ruellia strepens, Rumex crispus, Rumex hastatulus, Salvia lyrata, Schizachyrium scoparium, Setaria pumila (= Setaria glauca), Setaria parviflora (= Setaria geniculata), Solidago canadensis, Sorghastrum nutans, Sorghum halepense, Sporobolus compositus, Stachys sp., Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Teucrium sp., Tragia sp., Trifolium pratense, Tridens flavus, Tripsacum dactyloides, Vernonia missurica, Viola sororia, and Xanthium strumarium occurring as occasionals.
Dynamics: The mesic blackland prairie described previously is on the lower slopes and swales while the savanna forms on the tabletops above the dry-mesic prairie. Fuel accumulation is rapid except under the trees. Fire plays a role in the formation and maintenance of the community as young woody vegetation readily invades and suppresses the herbaceous vegetation. Fires burning in this savanna have been complete except under the overstory trees which, due to the suppressed herbaceous layer, were not affected.
Environmental Description: Soils are deep (45+ inches), alkaline clays with the high shrink-swell character of the Houston Clay Series. Unlike adjacent blackland prairie communities, deep chalk formations are not near the surface, and the soils are not eroded, probably due to the relative lack of topography. The deep soil and lack of massive chalk layer allows for the savanna formation.
Geographic Range: This mesic blackland savanna vegetation type is restricted to areas of deep, moist, alkaline clay soils with a high shrink-swell character (e.g., the Houston Clay Series) in the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689263
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.Nh Southeastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D102 | 2.B.2.Nh |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nh.2 Southeastern Coastal Plain Patch Prairie Macrogroup | M309 | 2.B.2.Nh.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a Little Bluestem - Switchgrass - Bushy Bluestem Patch Prairie Group | G175 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
| Alliance | A3317 Switchgrass - Beaked Panicgrass Coastal Plain Prairie Alliance | A3317 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007963 Southern Red Oak - Pecan / Wholeleaf Rosinweed - Beaked Panicgrass - (Cherokee Sedge) Mesic Wooded Grassland | CEGL007963 | 2.B.2.Nh.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus falcata - Carya illinoinensis / Silphium integrifolium - Panicum anceps - (Carex cherokeensis) Mesic Wooded Herbaceous Vegetation (Zollner et al. 1993)
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Zollner, D., S. Simon, and T. Foti. 1993. A plant community classification for Arkansas''s Blackland Prairie ecosystem. In: E. Peacock and T. Schauwecker, editors. Blackland prairies of the Gulf Coastal Plain: Nature, culture, and sustainability. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa.
- Zollner, D., S. Simon, and T. Foti. 2003. A plant community classification for Arkansas''s Blackland Prairie ecosystem. Pages 110-145 in: E. Peacock and T. Schauwecker, editors. Blackland prairies of the Gulf Coastal Plain: Nature, culture and sustainability. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa.