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CEGL006030 Quercus muehlenbergii / Packera plattensis - Parthenium auriculatum - Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Chinquapin Oak / Prairie Groundsel - Glade Wild Quinine - Little Bluestem Woodland
Colloquial Name: Ridge & Valley Dolomite Oak Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community type is a dolomite woodland of the Ridge and Valley of Virginia. It is physiognomically variable, often containing patch-mosaics of semi-closed, forb-rich woodlands, shrub thickets, and small grassy openings. The average expression appears to be an open to very open woodland with a sparse layer of somewhat stunted trees 6-10 m tall and scattered emergent trees 10-15 m tall. Mean stratum cover for each tree stratum is 15% in the four plots analyzed here. However, because plots were often placed in the most open portions of these woodlands, mean cover in tree strata may be somewhat understated. Quercus muehlenbergii is the most constant and abundant tree. Liriodendron tulipifera and, more locally, Pinus strobus are its most frequent associates. Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, Fraxinus americana, and Magnolia acuminata are occasional components of the 6- to 10-m tall tree layer. Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, Cornus florida, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, and Ostrya virginiana comprise most of the shrub layer (mean stratum cover = 50%), along with sapling Pinus strobus and Quercus muehlenbergii. The herbaceous layer (mean stratum cover = 56%) contains a mixture of drought-tolerant graminoids, forbs, and low shrubs such as Berberis canadensis, Ceanothus americanus, Hypericum prolificum, Rhus aromatica var. aromatica, and Rosa carolina. Dominant or locally abundant herbs include Carex pensylvanica, Dichanthelium boscii, Helianthus divaricatus, Phlox latifolia, Parthenium auriculatum, Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, and Packera plattensis. Thinly shaded, forb-dominated phases contain many distinctive herbaceous species, including Symphyotrichum laeve, Brickellia eupatorioides var. eupatorioides, Helianthus laevigatus, Solidago arguta var. harrisii, Taenidia integerrima, Thalictrum revolutum, and Zizia aptera. Small openings are characterized by the grasses Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula, and Sporobolus clandestinus. Light-demanding forbs such as Echinacea laevigata, Liatris aspera var. intermedia, Lithospermum canescens, and Lobelia spicata var. leptostachys may also be prominent in these openings, which resemble very small, prairie-like barrens.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Name changed to reflect new research and information on this community by Virginia Division of Natural Heritage (Fleming 1999). Excellent examples of this community type may be seen at The Nature Conservancy''s Den Creek Woodland Preserve and State of Virginia''s Pedlar Hill Natural Area Preserve, both in Montgomery County. First reported and described by Grossman et al. (1994), the type was originally included in the U.S. National Vegetation Classification under the name Quercus muehlenbergii / Senecio plattensis - Parthenium integrifolium var. auriculatum - Echinacea laevigata Woodland. As treated there and in Grossman et al. (1994), the type encompasses several "variants," including a scrub/lithophytic variant of steep, cliff-like slopes; an herbaceous, prairie-like variant; a submesic lower slope variant characterized by nutrient-demanding forbs; and a variant occurring on the Rome and Copper Ridge dolomites that lacks many of the characteristic magnesiophilic species occurring on the Elbrook Formation. Since 1994, a great deal has been learned about dry calcareous forests and woodlands in Virginia, and the community type is more narrowly circumscribed here. The Rome/Copper Ridge variant and the larger prairie-like herbaceous openings are fundamentally distinct and are now excluded from the type''s ecological concept. The other two "variants" require additional study and may also warrant separate classifications. Moreover, the tentative attribution of this type to West Virginia and Maryland based on information in Bartgis (1993) is very doubtful (Fleming 1999).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community type is physiognomically variable, often containing patch-mosaics of semi-closed, forb-rich woodlands, shrub thickets, and small grassy openings. The average expression appears to be an open to very open woodland with a sparse layer of somewhat stunted trees 6-10 m tall and scattered emergent trees 10-15 m tall. Mean stratum cover for each tree stratum is 15% in the four plots analyzed here. However, because plots were often placed in the most open portions of these woodlands, mean cover in tree strata may be somewhat understated. Quercus muehlenbergii is the most constant and abundant tree. Liriodendron tulipifera and, more locally, Pinus strobus are its most frequent associates. Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana (eastern red cedar), Fraxinus americana, and Magnolia acuminata are occasional components of the 6- to 10-m tall tree layer. Cercis canadensis var. canadensis, Cornus florida, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, and Ostrya virginiana comprise most of the shrub layer (mean stratum cover = 50%), along with sapling Pinus strobus and Quercus muehlenbergii. The herbaceous layer (mean stratum cover = 56%) contains a mixture of drought-tolerant graminoids, forbs, and low shrubs such as Berberis canadensis, Ceanothus americanus, Hypericum prolificum, Rhus aromatica var. aromatica, and Rosa carolina. Dominant or locally abundant herbs include Carex pensylvanica, Dichanthelium boscii, Helianthus divaricatus, Phlox latifolia, Parthenium auriculatum (= Parthenium integrifolium var. auriculatum), Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, and Packera plattensis (= Senecio plattensis). Thinly shaded, forb-dominated phases contain many distinctive herbaceous species, including Symphyotrichum laeve (= Aster laevis), Brickellia eupatorioides var. eupatorioides, Helianthus laevigatus, Solidago arguta var. harrisii, Taenidia integerrima, Thalictrum revolutum, and Zizia aptera. Small openings are characterized by the grasses Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula, and Sporobolus clandestinus. Light-demanding forbs such as Echinacea laevigata, Liatris aspera var. intermedia, Lithospermum canescens, and Lobelia spicata var. leptostachys may also be prominent in these openings, which resemble very small, prairie-like barrens.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community type is apparently endemic to subxeric sites on Elbrook dolomite in Montgomery, Roanoke, and Pulaski counties. Most known occurrences are located in a belt of low dolomite knobs and foothills stretching from just south of Blacksburg eastward to the Roanoke County line. The type usually occupies middle to upper slopes and crests of south- or southwest-facing spur ridges at relatively low elevations (mean = 475 m [1560 feet]). High surface cover of exposed mineral soils and/or gravel is characteristic. Soils typically have a soft to loose consistency, with high pH (mean = 8.0), calcium (mean = 3590 ppm), and magnesium (mean = 1129 ppm) levels. Although habitats are subject to prolonged droughts, local areas of ephemeral vernal seepage occur in microtopographic concavities and are often indicated by colonies of Dodecatheon meadia. This community occurs in small patches and merges with both dry or dry-mesic forests and sparse lithophytic woodlands or scrub along a topographic-moisture gradient. It is not known to occur in the George Washington and Jefferson national forests. However, because substantial exposures of the Elbrook Formation occur throughout the western Virginia Ridge and Valley region and the two indicator/nominal herbs (Parthenium auriculatum, Packera plattensis) are recorded over a similar range, the community is of potential occurrence in a much larger area than its current documentation indicates.
Geographic Range: This community is known from the Ridge and Valley physiographic province in west-central Virginia, particularly in the counties of Montgomery, Roanoke, Pulaski, and Giles.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689734
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.2 Appalachian-Northeastern Oak - Hardwood - Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M502 | 1.B.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.2.b Chinquapin Oak - White Ash - Eastern Red-cedar Forest & Woodland Group | G016 | 1.B.2.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A3106 Chinquapin Oak Appalachian Limestone Woodland Alliance | A3106 | 1.B.2.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL006030 Chinquapin Oak / Prairie Groundsel - Glade Wild Quinine - Little Bluestem Woodland | CEGL006030 | 1.B.2.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus muehlenbergii / Senecio plattensis - Parthenium integrifolium var. auriculatum - Echinacea laevigata Woodland (Grossman et al. 1994)
= Quercus muhlenbergii / Parthenium auriculatum - Senecio plattensis Woodland (Fleming 1999)
? Chinquapin oak-ragwort calcareous woodland (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
= Quercus muhlenbergii / Parthenium auriculatum - Senecio plattensis Woodland (Fleming 1999)
? Chinquapin oak-ragwort calcareous woodland (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
- CAP [Central Appalachian Forest Working Group]. 1998. Central Appalachian Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- 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.
- Fleming, G. P., K. D. Patterson, and K. Taverna. 2017. The natural communities of Virginia: A classification of ecological community groups and community types. Third approximation. Version 3.0. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. [http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-communities/]
- Fleming, G. P., and K. D. Patterson. 2009b. Classification of selected Virginia montane wetland groups. In-house analysis, December 2009. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond.
- Fleming, G. P., and P. P. Coulling. 2001. Ecological communities of the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Preliminary classification and description of vegetation types. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. 317 pp.
- Fleming, Gary P. Personal communication. Ecologist, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA.
- Grossman, D. H., K. Lemon Goodin, and C. L. Reuss, editors. 1994. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States: An initial survey. The Nature Conservancy. Arlington, VA. 620 pp.
- Rawinski, T. 1984a. Natural community description abstract - southern New England calcareous seepage swamp. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA. 6 pp.
- Weakley, A. S. 2010. Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and surrounding areas. Unpublished working draft. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. [http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm]