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CEGL003884 Quercus stellata - Quercus marilandica var. ashei Interior Highlands Scrub Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Post Oak - Ashe''s Blackjack Oak Interior Highlands Scrub Woodland
Colloquial Name: Interior Highlands Post Oak Scrub Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association consists of stunted (1.5-4 m tall) oak woodlands occurring on summits of the higher elevations of the Ouachitas Mountains (Mount Magazine) of Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma (above 790 m [2600 feet]). The canopy consists of open to closed stands of Quercus stellata and Quercus marilandica var. ashei (near the eastern edge of its distribution), sometimes also with Quercus rubra and Quercus alba. Although canopy trees are short-statured and almost shrubby in appearance, individual stems have well-developed trunks. Stunting of the canopy is maintained by ice storms, fog, shallow soils over rock, and periodic severe drought. Other large shrubs and small trees, such as Chionanthus virginicus, Ostrya virginiana, Vaccinium arboreum, Carya tomentosa, Amelanchier arborea, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Prunus angustifolia, and Sassafras albidum, can also reach the canopy or occur as a slightly shorter subcanopy. Vaccinium pallidum often forms a very open short-shrub stratum. The herb stratum includes the grasses Schizachyrium scoparium, and sometimes Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, or Andropogon gerardii. Forbs are few. The oak canopy often forms impenetrable thickets of heavily fruiting trees that are no more than 2.4-3 m (8-10 feet) tall.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type is known from the Ozark National Forest on the Magazine Ranger District which occurs in the Ouachita Ecoregion (Ecoregion 39). Analysis of additional data is needed to confirm the distinctiveness of this type. Although all known occurrences are on sandstone, compositional variation among occurrences suggests that chemically different sandstones have somewhat different examples of this community. Some occurrences (such as Castle Rock Vista, Oklahoma) having acidophiles (Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium pallidum, Deschampsia flexuosa), and others (such as Mount Magazine) have a more calciphilic set of species present (Ptelea trifoliata var. mollis, Rhus aromatica, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana). The physiognomic placement of this type has been controversial; although of shrub height, the dominant oaks have well-developed trunks, and the community is thus placed as a woodland.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy of stands consists of Quercus stellata and Quercus marilandica var. ashei (near the eastern edge of its distribution), sometimes also with Quercus rubra and Quercus alba. Other large shrubs and small trees, such as Chionanthus virginicus, Ostrya virginiana, Vaccinium arboreum, Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Amelanchier arborea, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Prunus angustifolia, and Sassafras albidum, can also reach the canopy or occur as a slightly shorter "subcanopy." Vaccinium pallidum often forms a very open short-shrub stratum. The herb stratum includes the grasses Schizachyrium scoparium, and sometimes Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, or Andropogon gerardii.
Dynamics: Stunting of the canopy is maintained by ice storms, cold and windy conditions, fog, shallow soils over rock, and periodic severe drought.
Environmental Description: This association consists of stunted (1.5- to 4-m tall) woodlands, with an open to closed canopy, occurring on summits of the higher elevations of the Ouachitas Mountains (Mount Magazine) of Arkansas and (possibly) eastern Oklahoma (NatureServe Ecology unpubl. data), at elevations above 790 m (2600 feet).
Geographic Range: This community is found at higher elevations (i.e., above 790 m [2600 feet]) of the Ouachitas Mountains (Mount Magazine) of Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AR, OK
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689425
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.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.c White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Northern Red Oak Forest & Woodland Group | G159 | 1.B.2.Na.1.c |
| Alliance | A3290 Post Oak - Blackjack Oak - White Oak Ozark-Ouachita Woodland Alliance | A3290 | 1.B.2.Na.1.c |
| Association | CEGL003884 Post Oak - Ashe''s Blackjack Oak Interior Highlands Scrub Woodland | CEGL003884 | 1.B.2.Na.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Post Oak - Blackjack Oak: 40 (Eyre 1980)
= Scrub Oak Community (Tucker 1989)
? T4A3aI1a. Quercus alba - Quercus stellata (Foti et al. 1994)
= Scrub Oak Community (Tucker 1989)
? T4A3aI1a. Quercus alba - Quercus stellata (Foti et al. 1994)
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
- Foti, T., M. Blaney, X. Li, and K. G. Smith. 1994. A classification system for the natural vegetation of Arkansas. Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science 48:50-53.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Tucker, G. E. 1989. A survey of the botanical features of Magazine Mountain on the slopes and plateau surface. Unpublished document. USDA Forest Service, Ozark National Forest, Russellville, AR. 53 pp.