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CEGL006851 Pinus echinata / Quercus (falcata, nigra) / Vaccinium pallidum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Shortleaf Pine / (Southern Red Oak, Water Oak) / Blue Ridge Blueberry Forest
Colloquial Name: Inland Dune & Ridge Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This vegetation occurs in Maryland and Delaware on late Pleistocene-aged inland dunes and ridges in the Pocomoke River (MD) and Indian River (DE) watersheds. Inland dunes are best developed on the east sides of rivers and characterized by low-relief and a parabolic shape suggesting formation by northwest winds. Medium- and fine-grained sands of the Parsonsburg Sand Formation comprise these dunes and are prominent along terraces. Habitats are very dry and support pyrophytic mixed woodlands of pine, oak, ericaceous shrubs, and light-demanding xerophytes. Canopies are structurally open, often straddling conceptual boundaries between open forests and woodlands. Stands are often codominated by Pinus echinata, Pinus taeda, Quercus falcata, and Quercus nigra. Less frequent but still characteristic in over 50% of stands sampled are Carya pallida, Quercus velutina, Diospyros virginiana, and Quercus stellata. Most stands have a relatively open tall-shrub stratum with Ilex opaca most constant at low cover. The short-shrub stratum is best characterized as patchy and variable with Vaccinium pallidum often present and dominant. Other species that may constitute the short-shrub stratum include Gaylussacia baccata, Gaylussacia frondosa, Vaccinium stamineum, and vines of Smilax glauca and Smilax rotundifolia. Herbs are very sparse, often comprising less than 2-5% total cover. Taxa reported from stands include Baptisia tinctoria, Cypripedium acaule, Carex tonsa var. tonsa, Carex nigromarginata, Carex albicans, Chimaphila maculata, Chimaphila umbellata, Clitoria mariana, Dichanthelium commutatum, Euphorbia ipecacuanhae, Melampyrum lineare, Mitchella repens, and Pteridium aquilinum. Lichens of the genus Cladonia and bryophytes such as Leucobryum albidum and Polytrichum commune are almost always a component of the ground layer.
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: These woodlands are often codominated by Pinus echinata (10-25% cover), Pinus taeda (5-10%), Quercus falcata (10-25%), and Quercus nigra (5-10%) in the canopy. Also characteristic but less frequent are trees of Carya pallida, Quercus velutina, Diospyros virginiana, and Quercus stellata. A relatively open tall-shrub stratum is characterized by Ilex opaca at low cover. The short-shrub stratum is patchy, variable and best characterized by Vaccinium pallidum (10-25%). Although slightly less abundant, other ericaceous shrubs that may occupy this stratum include Gaylussacia baccata, Gaylussacia frondosa, and Vaccinium stamineum. Vines are sparse but typically include Smilax glauca and Smilax rotundifolia. Herbs are very sparse, often comprising less than 2-5% total cover. Taxa reported from stands include Baptisia tinctoria, Cypripedium acaule, Carex tonsa var. tonsa, Carex nigromarginata, Carex albicans, Chimaphila maculata, Chimaphila umbellata, Clitoria mariana, Dichanthelium commutatum, Euphorbia ipecacuanhae, Melampyrum lineare, Mitchella repens, and Pteridium aquilinum. Lichens of the genus Cladonia and bryophytes such as Leucobryum albidum and Polytrichum commune are almost always a component of the ground layer.
Dynamics: This community type occurs in a sandy and very dry landscape that was historically impacted by occasional wildfires. It is therefore likely that the historical abundance of Pinus echinata on Delmarva was always limited and largely driven by a combination of periodic drought and fire frequency. Both Shreve (1910) and Tatnall (1946) list Pinus echinata as occurring "infrequently" throughout Delmarva.
Environmental Description: This community occurs on dry, sandy inland dunes and ridges of the Parsonsburg Sand Formation on the Delmarva Peninsula. Inland dunes are best developed on the east sides of rivers and characterized by low-relief and a parabolic shape suggesting formation by northwest winds (Denny and Owens 1979). Habitats are very dry and support pyrophytic mixed woodlands of pine, oak, ericaceous shrubs, and light-demanding xerophytes.
Geographic Range: This community is described from a limited area in the Pocomoke River watershed in Maryland and the Indian River watershed in Delaware.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: DE, MD
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.807522
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.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.9 Pitch Pine - oak spp. - American Holly North Atlantic Forest Macrogroup | M525 | 1.B.2.Na.9 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.9.b Black Oak - American Beech - Pitch Pine Coastal Plain Forest Group | G894 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
| Alliance | A3113 Southern Red Oak - Sand Hickory - Pine species Mid-Atlantic Paleodune Woodland Alliance | A3113 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
| Association | CEGL006851 Shortleaf Pine / (Southern Red Oak, Water Oak) / Blue Ridge Blueberry Forest | CEGL006851 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- Coxe, R. 2009. Guide to Delaware vegetation communities. Spring 2009 edition. State of Delaware, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Delaware Natural Heritage Program, Smyrna.
- Denny, C. S., and J. P. Owens. 1979. Sand dune on the Delmarva Peninsula, Maryland and Delaware. U.S. Geological Survey, Professional Paper 1067-C.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Harrison, J. W. 2007. The natural communities of Maryland: First approximation. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Services, Annapolis. Unpublished report. October 2007. 112 pp.
- Harrison, J. W. 2011. The natural communities of Maryland: 2011 working list of ecological community groups and community types. Unpublished report. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service, Natural Heritage Program, Annapolis. 33 pp.
- Harrison, J. W., compiler. 2004. Classification of vegetation communities of Maryland: First iteration. A subset of the International Classification of Ecological Communities: Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States, NatureServe. Maryland Natural Heritage Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis. 243 pp.
- Shreve, F., M. A. Chrysler, F. H. Blodgett, and F. W. Besley. 1910. The plant life of Maryland. Maryland Weather Service. Special Publication, Volume III. The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, MD. 533 pp.
- Tatnall, R. 1946. Flora of Delaware and the eastern shore. The Society of Natural History of Delaware, Wilmington.