Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Willow species) / Big Bluestem - Switchgrass - Azure Blue Sage Cahaba Riverscour Wet Meadow

Colloquial Name: Cahaba Riverwash Prairie

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This riverwash association is restricted to central Alabama, where it occurs along the Cahaba River and is subsequently maintained by flood-scouring. Examples occupy high-gradient sections of the river, often in conjunction with exposed substrates composed of sandstone, siltstone, and to a lesser extent, shale that are seasonally scoured by floodwaters. Cobbles are abundant, generally mixed with sandy silt that nurtures a luxuriant suite of plants. Grasses, primarily Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Panicum virgatum serve as the principal vegetation component, constituting nearly 40% of the total cover. While represented by smaller numbers, many other herbs are as equally characteristic, including Sorghastrum nutans, Andropogon virginicus, Tripsacum dactyloides, Melica mutica, Ipomoea pandurata, Clematis virginiana, Mecardonia acuminata, Sida elliottii, Salvia azurea, Asclepias tuberosa, and Toxicodendron radicans. Although of lesser significance, woody species also serve to distinguish this community, most of which are twisted and contorted, bearing testimony to adverse abrasion properties associated with flooding. Typical small trees and shrubs include Salix nigra, Salix caroliniana, Phyllanthopsis phyllanthoides, Betula nigra, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Cephalanthus occidentalis. Nekemias arborea and Bignonia capreolata are common vines, often trailing along the ground surface.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Subtle differences exist between this association and other riverwash communities. Depending on how finely this type is conceived, it may be restricted to a small area within the fall-line of central Alabama. Although similar to ~Salix spp. / Andropogon gerardii - Sorghastrum nutans Riverscour Wet Meadow (CEGL005175)$$, willows, while characteristic, assume a minor presence in relation to the herb-dominated Cahaba River association. Also similar are ~Andropogon gerardii - Panicum virgatum - Baptisia australis Riverscour Wet Meadow (CEGL006283)$$ and ~(Salix caroliniana, Rhododendron arborescens) / Andropogon gerardii - Baptisia australis - (Solidago simplex ssp. randii) Riverscour Wet Meadow (CEGL008471)$$, separated by their geographical distribution and floristic attributes. Given the similarities, these and other riverwash associations may warrant separate entities until further research is undertaken to confirm an appropriate classification.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available