Print Report
CEGL006466 Platanus occidentalis / Aesculus flava Floodplain Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: American Sycamore / Yellow Buckeye Floodplain Forest
Colloquial Name: Central Appalachian Buckeye Floodplain Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This floodplain forest community has been documented from rivers of West Virginia''s Ohio River drainage (the western slope), including the Cheat, Greenbrier, Tygart Valley, and Bluestone rivers. It occupies stabilized terraces and levees subject to periodic overbank flooding. The microtopography is complex, with levee development along the river''s edge, and swales and flatter terraces behind the levees. The alluvial soils are derived primarily from acidic sandstones and shales and range from silt to sandy loams. Measured soil pH is 4.5-6.3. The vegetation is characterized by a tall canopy of Platanus occidentalis with Liriodendron tulipifera and/or Fagus grandifolia over a subcanopy of Aesculus flava. Prunus serotina and Acer saccharum are common codominants. Platanus occidentalis is often concentrated as a line along the immediate river''s edge. Carpinus caroliniana is a typical small tree and Lindera benzoin a typical shrub. Asimina triloba and Viburnum prunifolium are associated shrubs. Hydrophyllum virginianum, Mertensia virginica, Elymus hystrix, Packera aurea, Symphyotrichum prenanthoides, and Viola cucullata are characteristic herbs. Verbesina alternifolia, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Boehmeria cylindrica, and Pilea pumila var. pumila are frequent and may be abundant in the herb layer. The exotic herbs Microstegium vimineum and Glechoma hederacea are sometimes locally abundant, and Alliaria petiolata, Hesperis matronalis, Hypericum perforatum, and Prunella vulgaris may also be present.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: At Camp Dawson, the overstory composition is similar to the mixed mesophytic forests on adjacent upland colluvial slopes, but Prunus serotina is more abundant and Tilia americana less abundant or absent in this type. Understory differences are more distinct, with weedy species reflecting the flooding disturbance regime. More documentation of this type is needed. This association has now been documented in West Virginia along the Bluestone, Cheat, Greenbrier and Tygart Valley rivers, a range spanning over 200 air km. Its occurrence along other west slope (Ohio River drainage) West Virginia rivers is expected, but it will not occur on the east slope (Atlantic drainage) of the mountains because Aesculus flava does not occur there. It is most similar to ~Platanus occidentalis - Fraxinus pennsylvanica / Carpinus caroliniana / Verbesina alternifolia Floodplain Forest (CEGL006458)$$ which occurs downstream along the New River. Differences between these two associations are best explained by river size, duration of flooding, and availability of well-drained microsites which can support Aesculus flava and other species less tolerant of flooding. Floristic differences, other than abundance of Aesculus flava, are subtle. In a two group analysis, species with highest indicator value for this association (CEGL006466) throughout its range include Prunus serotina var. serotina, Carya cordiformis, Leersia virginica, and Symphyotrichum prenanthoides. Species with highest indicator value for CEGL006458 include Carpinus caroliniana ssp. virginiana, Smilax rotundifolia, Toxicodendron radicans, Halesia tetraptera, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association is a somewhat open- to closed-canopy deciduous floodplain forest characterized by a tall canopy of Platanus occidentalis over a subcanopy of Aesculus flava. Canopy cover in three plots along the Bluestone River is 30-70%. In addition to the dominant Platanus occidentalis, which often forms a line of large trees along the riverbank, canopies include Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Acer saccharum var. saccharum, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Liriodendron tulipifera. The subcanopy is usually strongly dominated by Aesculus flava. Abundance of Aesculus flava, a species only moderately tolerant of flooding, may be attributed to short duration of floods and/or availability of well-drained microsites where it can become established and persist. The spring aspect of this forest can be striking, with early leaf-out by Aesculus flava prominent under a tall, still-leafless canopy of Platanus occidentalis. Common species in the shrub layers include Asimina triloba, Carpinus caroliniana ssp. virginiana, Lindera benzoin, and Viburnum prunifolium. This community may be especially susceptible to invasion by the exotic shrub Rosa multiflora. The herb layer is usually well-developed, but some areas have lower herb cover associated with heavy shading or long standing water. Common native herbs include Verbesina alternifolia, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata, Dichanthelium clandestinum, Elymus hystrix var. hystrix, Leersia virginica, Galium triflorum, Packera aurea, Cryptotaenia canadensis, Chasmanthium latifolium, Boehmeria cylindrica, and Pilea pumila var. pumila. Exotic herbs in plots include Alliaria petiolata, Hesperis matronalis, Hypericum perforatum, and Prunella vulgaris. Vascular plant species richness in 12 West Virginia plots ranges from 19 to 80 (mean = 42) species per 200-m2 plot.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs in small patches on floodplains with a natural hydroperiod characteristic of medium-sized rivers of West Virginia''s west slope (Ohio River basin). Stands are probably flooded multiple times (in any season) in most years, but floods are probably of relatively low energy and short duration. Stands occur on islands, riverfront levees, undulating terraces, and in backchannel positions. Microtopography is characterized by fluvial features such as swales, berms, washouts, and elevated root clumps. Unvegetated ground cover is dominated by litter but also includes significant wood flotsam piles, bare soil, and standing water in depressions. Soils in Bluestone River plots are described as temporarily flooded, somewhat poorly to well-drained, deep sand and sandy loam derived from alluvium. Soils from plots tested medium to slightly acidic (mean pH = 5.9) with relatively high levels of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn, and relatively low levels of organic matter, estimated N release, S, Al, B, K, Na, and P, compared to average values in the area.
Geographic Range: This association is currently documented only from West Virginia but is probably more extensive.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.794875
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.1 Silver Maple - American Sycamore - Hackberry species Floodplain Forest Macrogroup | M029 | 1.B.3.Na.1 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.1.b <i>Acer saccharinum - Platanus occidentalis - Liquidambar styraciflua</i> Floodplain Forest Group | G673 | 1.B.3.Na.1.b |
| Alliance | A3701 American Sycamore - Green Ash - Tuliptree Central Appalachian-Piedmont Floodplain Forest Alliance | A3701 | 1.B.3.Na.1.b |
| Association | CEGL006466 American Sycamore / Yellow Buckeye Floodplain Forest | CEGL006466 | 1.B.3.Na.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Platanus occidentalis / Aesculus flava Forest (Vanderhorst and Streets 2006)
< Mature floodplain forest (Vanderhorst 2001a)
< Mature floodplain forest (Vanderhorst 2001a)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Vanderhorst, J. 2001a. Plant community classification and mapping of the Camp Dawson Collective Training Area, Preston County, West Virginia. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Elkins. 101 pp.
- Vanderhorst, J. P., B. P. Streets, J. Jeuck, and S. C. Gawler. 2008. Vegetation classification and mapping of Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2008/106. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA.
- Vanderhorst, J., and B. P. Streets. 2006. Vegetation classification and mapping of Camp Dawson Army Training Site, West Virginia: Second approximation. Natural Heritage Program, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Elkins. 83 pp.
- WVNHP [West Virginia Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, Elkins.