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CEGL003880 Quercus (pagoda, shumardii) / Cornus foemina / Podophyllum peltatum - Hymenocallis occidentalis Flatwoods Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Cherrybark Oak, Shumard Oak) / Stiff Dogwood / Mayapple - Woodland Spiderlily Flatwoods Forest
Colloquial Name: Southern Ridge & Valley Calcareous Flatwoods Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These seasonally inundated wet hardwood forests occur on gently rolling or flat terrain along small streams and sometimes on shallowly depressed upland flats in the Great Valley subsection of the Ridge and Valley of Georgia and Alabama. These communities are typically located within a few miles of the major rivers of this region. Known examples occur along the Conasauga, Coosawattee, Oostanaula and Coosa rivers. In Georgia, these sites are locally known as "flatwoods." The substrate for this association is deep, stiff calcareous clays derived from weathered shale and limestone of the Conasauga Group. They are very poorly drained and seasonally inundated by winter rain and then subjected to extreme drying and cracking during the summer growing season. This results in a canopy that tends to be somewhat stunted and open allowing for a very well-developed and diverse herbaceous layer that includes many calciphilic species. Characteristically these forests are a mosaic of wetland depressions interspersed with scattered, raised hummocks of marginally upland forest. Stands of this association are dominated by a variable combination of Celtis laevigata, Quercus pagoda, Quercus phellos, and Quercus shumardii, but the canopy is very diverse and quite variable. In some occurrences, Carya myristiciformis is an important component. The understory and shrub layer can vary greatly from open, to patchy, to occasionally quite dense. Cornus foemina, Chionanthus virginicus, Ulmus alata, Ostrya virginiana, Ilex decidua, Sideroxylon lycioides, Carpinus caroliniana, and Cercis canadensis are conspicuous dominants. Like the canopy layer, the understory and shrub layer is very diverse. The herbaceous layer is perhaps the most diverse component of this association and can include a large number of species where extensive expanses of this habitat exists. Included here are rare narrow endemics such as Prenanthes barbata, Clematis socialis, Thalictrum debile, and Aureolaria patula. Openings within these associations can sometimes include other narrowly distributed species such as Marshallia mohrii and Jamesianthus alabamensis. Many herbaceous species found in these flatwoods are disjunct northern or midwestern species with prairie affiliations such as Asclepias purpurascens, Packera paupercula, Clematis fremontii, and Lilium michiganense. Often, calciphilic species can predominate. Many additional herbaceous species occur in these forests, some with wetland affinities and others that are aligned with rich mesic woodlands. Few deciduous forested plant associations can compare with this association in overall plant diversity and potential for rare species.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: High-quality examples of this association still remain but are limited in extent and have no formal protection. An outstanding example in Murray County, Georgia (the Carbondale Swamp), provides habitat for the only known population of Trillium pusillum within the state. This site is threatened by development as an industrial site. Additional high-quality examples are found on the Berry College Wildlife Management Area near Rome, GA.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands of this association are dominated by a variable combination of Celtis laevigata, Quercus pagoda, Quercus phellos, and Quercus shumardii. Other important canopy species include Quercus michauxii, Quercus alba, Ulmus rubra, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Fraxinus americana, Fagus grandifolia, Quercus nigra, Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Carya glabra, Carya ovata, Acer floridanum (= Acer barbatum), Acer rubrum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Liquidambar styraciflua, Aesculus flava, and Tilia americana var. heterophylla. In some occurrences, Carya myristiciformis is an important component. The canopy tends to be stunted and somewhat open, allowing for nearly equal diversity in the shrub and herbaceous layer. Cornus foemina, Chionanthus virginicus, Ulmus alata, Ostrya virginiana, Ilex decidua, Sideroxylon lycioides, Carpinus caroliniana, and Cercis canadensis are conspicuous dominants of the shrub layer that varies from open, to patchy, to occasionally dense. The herbaceous layer is the most diverse component of this association and can include a large number of species where extensive expanses of this habitat exists. Included here are rare narrow endemics such as Prenanthes barbata, Thalictrum debile, and Aureolaria patula. Openings within these associations can sometimes include other narrowly distributed species such as Marshallia mohrii and Jamesianthus alabamensis. Many herbaceous species found in these flatwoods are disjunct northern or midwestern species with prairie affinities such as Asclepias purpurascens, Packera paupercula, Clematis fremontii, and Lilium michiganense. Oftentimes, calciphilic species can predominate such as Cynoglossum virginianum, Mertensia virginica, Phacelia bipinnatifida, Ruellia strepens, Polemonium reptans, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Trillium lancifolium, Dodecatheon meadia, Spigelia marilandica, Erigenia bulbosa, Delphinium tricorne, Cirsium carolinianum, and Allium cernuum. Many additional herbaceous species occur in these forests, some with wetland affinities and others that are aligned with rich mesic woodlands. Examples of wetland species include Ptilimnium costatum, Trillium pusillum, Saururus cernuus, Alisma subcordatum, Eleocharis tenuis var. verrucosa, Arisaema dracontium, Veratrum virginicum (= Melanthium virginicum), Carex intumescens, Carex squarrosa, and Glyceria striata. Examples of those associated with rich, mesic woods includes Podophyllum peltatum, Hymenocallis occidentalis, Cardamine bulbosa, Actaea pachypoda, Trillium rugelii, Arisaema triphyllum, Myosotis macrosperma, Nemophila aphylla, Cardamine dissecta (= Cardamine multifida), Botrychium virginianum, Gillenia stipulata (= Porteranthus stipulatus), Laportea canadensis, Phlox glaberrima, and Osmorhiza claytonii. Other important herbaceous species and vines found within these flatwoods include Nothoscordum bivalve, Coreopsis delphiniifolia, Impatiens capensis, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Thalictrum revolutum, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Carex cherokeensis, Rosa setigera, Trachelospermum difforme, Matelea decipiens, and Cocculus carolinus. Sphagnum spp. are often an important component of low depressions within these systems, as are populations of Plantago cordata that often grow along the small streams draining these flatwoods.
Dynamics: These forests are seasonally wet and are on the borderline between upland, saturated, and seasonally flooded. Because of the very subdued topography, the water table is never far from the surface, and the ground may be saturated for extended periods of time during the growing season. In winter and early spring, large areas of standing water are typically found at sites where this vegetation occurs. This helps create the unusual habitat conditions. In summer and fall, as the water table drops, the clay soil shrinks and becomes almost pavement-like, even though the water table may be only a foot or two below the soil surface. This is a distinctly seasonal pattern of hydrologic regime, but the resulting vegetation is a mixture of wetland and mesic species.
Environmental Description: These seasonally inundated wet hardwood forests occur on gently rolling or flat terrain along small streams and sometimes on shallowly depressed upland flats in the Great Valley subsection of the Ridge and Valley of Georgia and Alabama. These communities are typically located within a few miles of the major rivers of this region. Known examples occur along the Conasauga, Coosawattee, Oostanaula and Coosa rivers. In Georgia, these sites are locally known as "flatwoods." The substrate for this association is deep, stiff calcareous clays derived from weathered shale and limestone of the Conasauga Group. They are very poorly drained and seasonally inundated by winter rain and then subjected to extreme drying and cracking during the summer growing season. This results in a canopy that tends to be somewhat stunted and open allowing for a very well-developed and diverse herbaceous layer that includes many calciphilic species. Characteristically these forests are a mosaic of wetland depressions interspersed with scattered, raised hummocks of marginally upland forest.
Geographic Range: This association ranges along the Great Valley subsection of the Southern Ridge and Valley in Georgia and Alabama.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, GA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.721861
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Na Eastern North American-Great Plains Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D011 | 1.B.3.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Na.2 Pin Oak - Green Ash - Blackgum Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M503 | 1.B.3.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.2.b Overcup Oak - Post Oak - Blackgum Flatwoods & Pond Forest Group | G654 | 1.B.3.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A3430 Willow Oak Piedmont-Cumberland Wet Depression Forest Alliance | A3430 | 1.B.3.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL003880 (Cherrybark Oak, Shumard Oak) / Stiff Dogwood / Mayapple - Woodland Spiderlily Flatwoods Forest | CEGL003880 | 1.B.3.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
- Govus, T. 1999. Survey for Clematis socialis and significant calcareous flatwoods. Summary report to the Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Social Circle, GA.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.