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CEGL004089 Taxodium ascendens - Nyssa biflora / Carex striata - Rhynchospora (careyana, cephalantha) Stringer Swamp Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Pond-cypress - Swamp Tupelo / Walter''s Sedge - (Broad-fruit Horned Beaksedge, Bunched Beaksedge) Stringer Swamp Woodland
Colloquial Name: Atlantic Coastal Plain Pond-cypress Depression (Beaksedge Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This stringer woodland association is characterized by Taxodium ascendens and Nyssa biflora with a mixed sedge understory. These stringers occur in seasonally (or semipermanently) flooded flow-ways that include swales, limesinks and other depressional wetlands. The sedges Carex striata, Rhynchospora cephalantha, Rhynchospora careyana, and/or Rhynchospora microcephala tend to form a thick mat in the soggy substrate. Evergreen shrubs, such as Lyonia lucida, Clethra alnifolia, and Cyrilla racemiflora, will often be found growing in raised patches or around the bases of large trees. Periodic droughts allow for the occasional establishment of Acer rubrum, although it is less likely to persist over time given a relatively frequent fire regime. This regime will maintain the open herbaceous layer and remove other hardwood invaders as well.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Taxodium ascendens and Nyssa biflora dominate the canopy which may be closed or open. Acer rubrum and, less commonly, Liquidambar styraciflua and Prunus serotina may also occur in the canopy or understory. A mixed shrub layer often forms around the bases of tree and in raised areas. Common shrubs include Lyonia lucida, Persea palustris, Magnolia virginiana, Cyrilla racemiflora, Clethra alnifolia, Ilex spp. (Ilex cassine, Ilex glabra, Ilex myrtifolia), and Morella cerifera. Smilax walteri and Smilax laurifolia are common throughout. In the herb layer Carex striata and Rhynchospora spp. (Rhynchospora careyana, Rhynchospora cephalantha, Rhynchospora microcephala) are dominant. Saccharum spp. (Saccharum brevibarbe var. contortum, Saccharum giganteum), Panicum hemitomon, Iris tridentata, and Lachnanthes caroliana may be found in patches. Eriocaulon decangulare, Xyris spp. Rhynchospora spp. (Rhynchospora elliottii, Rhynchospora fascicularis, Rhynchospora filifolia), and other bay species may occur often or infrequently depending on burn frequency or the amount of recent precipitation.
Dynamics: The maintenance of this vegetation type depends on frequent low-intensity fires that limit competition from hardwood trees and shrubs and help to maintain the high diversity of herbaceous vegetation. Similarly, drought cycles will result in temporary shifts in species composition or temporary absence of otherwise common species.
Environmental Description: These areas are large planar wooded meadows of non-alluvial depressions or very slow-moving shallows amidst a matrix of frequently burned longleaf pine woodland or wet savanna.
Geographic Range: This association is found in coastal South Carolina and possibly in coastal Georgia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA?, SC
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.732831
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.Nb Southeastern North American Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D062 | 1.B.3.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nb.1 Pond-cypress - Slash Pine Swamp Macrogroup | M161 | 1.B.3.Nb.1 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Nb.1.a Pond-cypress / Holly species Basin Swamp Group | G036 | 1.B.3.Nb.1.a |
| Alliance | A3341 Pond-cypress / Walter''s Sedge Swamp Forest Alliance | A3341 | 1.B.3.Nb.1.a |
| Association | CEGL004089 Pond-cypress - Swamp Tupelo / Walter''s Sedge - (Broad-fruit Horned Beaksedge, Bunched Beaksedge) Stringer Swamp Woodland | CEGL004089 | 1.B.3.Nb.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Taxodium ascendens-Nyssa biflora-Acer rubrum / Carex striata-Rhynchospora spp. (cephalantha, microcephala, careyana) Stringer Woodland (Glitzenstein and Streng 2004)
- Glitzenstein, J. S., and D. R. Streng. 2004. Evaluating the NatureServe preliminary plant community classification for Francis Marion National Forest. Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL. Plus appendices and data.
- Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.