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CEGL002201 Andropogon gerardii - Sorghastrum nutans - Schizachyrium scoparium Flint Hills Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Little Bluestem Flint Hills Grassland
Colloquial Name: Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This tallgrass prairie grassland is found in the Flint Hills region of the central United States. Stands occur on shallow to deep silt, loam, and clay soils. It can be somewhat poorly drained to somewhat excessively drained. This community has a dense cover of tall grasses with a moderate to high diversity of forbs. Dominant grasses are Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Bouteloua curtipendula, Panicum virgatum, and Sporobolus compositus are common, but less abundant, members of this community. Typical forbs include Symphyotrichum ericoides, Helianthus grosseserratus, Lespedeza capitata, Solidago spp., and Viola pedatifida. Shrubs, such as Amorpha canescens, and trees are usually infrequent, but can be more common near watercourses.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Also known as Osage Hills. In Oklahoma, vegetation dominated by these species is not limited to the Flint Hills. Indicator species need to be identified to better name this community.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community has a dense cover of tall grasses with a moderate to high diversity of forbs. Dominant grasses are Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Bouteloua curtipendula, Panicum virgatum, and Sporobolus compositus (= Sporobolus asper) are common, but less abundant, members of this community. Typical forbs include Symphyotrichum ericoides (= Aster ericoides), Helianthus grosseserratus, Lespedeza capitata, Psoralidium tenuiflorum, Solidago spp., and Viola pedatifida. Shrubs, such as Amorpha canescens, and trees are usually infrequent, but can be more common near watercourses (Lauver et al. 1999).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is found on shallow to deep silt, loam, and clay soils. It can be somewhat poorly drained to somewhat excessively drained. The parent material is calcareous clayey shale, limestone, cherty limestone, or interbedded limestone and clayey shale (Lauver et al. 1999).
Geographic Range: This tallgrass prairie grassland is found in the Flint Hills region of the central United States, particularly in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: KS, OK
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689452
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4?
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.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D023 | 2.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nb.1 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Dense Blazingstar Tallgrass Prairie Macrogroup | M054 | 2.B.2.Nb.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nb.1.b Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Little Bluestem Tallgrass Prairie Group | G334 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.b |
| Alliance | A4045 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Sunflower species Southern Grassland Alliance | A4045 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.b |
| Association | CEGL002201 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Little Bluestem Flint Hills Grassland | CEGL002201 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Andropogon gerardii - Sorghastrum nutans - Schizachyrium scoparium Flint Hills Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- 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.).
- Hoagland, B. 2000. The vegetation of Oklahoma: A classification for landscape mapping and conservation planning. The Southwestern Naturalist 45(4):385-420.
- Kindscher, K., H. Kilroy, J. Delisle, Q. Long, H. Loring, K. Dobbs, and J. Drake. 2011b. Vegetation mapping and classification of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve: Project report. Natural Resource Report NRR/HTLN/NRR--2011/346. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 76 pp.
- Lauver, C. L., K. Kindscher, D. Faber-Langendoen, and R. Schneider. 1999. A classification of the natural vegetation of Kansas. The Southwestern Naturalist 44:421-443.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.