Print Report

G126 Quercus fusiformis - Juniperus ashei Dry Forest & Woodland Group

Type Concept Sentence: This mixed forest group occurs on upper slopes and mesas in the Edwards Plateau region of Texas and extends north discontinuously into north Texas and south-central Oklahoma. Quercus fusiformis is common and often dominates stands of this group which vary physiognomically from dense mottes (patches of forest where canopy cover approaches 100%) interspersed with grasslands to open savanna-like woodlands with scattered individual or small groups of trees.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Texas Live Oak - Ashe''s Juniper Dry Forest & Woodland Group

Colloquial Name: Balconian Dry Forest & Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Group

Type Concept: This upland mixed forest group occurs primarily on coarse- to fine-textured soils on upper slopes and mesas in the Edwards Plateau region of Texas and extends north discontinuously into north Texas and south-central Oklahoma. Physiognomic expression of this group varies from dense mottes (patches of forest where canopy cover approaches 100%) interspersed with grasslands to open savanna-like woodlands with scattered individual or small groups of trees. Quercus fusiformis is common and often dominates stands of this group. Other canopy species may include Fraxinus albicans, Juniperus ashei, Pinus remota, Prosopis glandulosa, Quercus buckleyi, Quercus marilandica, Quercus sinuata, Quercus stellata, Quercus vaseyana, and Ulmus crassifolia. Grasslands occur in small patches within more closed woodlands and in larger patches between mottes or in open savanna-like woodlands with scattered trees. Grasslands related to this group tend to grade from shortgrass communities in the west to mixedgrass communities to the east.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Biotic and floristic regions centered on central Texas have been reported in several studies (Tharp 1939, Dice 1943, Blair 1950, Webster and Bahre 2001, McLaughlin 2007), but the vegetation of this region is a mixture of endemic, eastern, western and Great Plains components. The mixture of vegetation is distinct, and anchored by a few endemics, but many components are related to vegetation of other regions. As a result, this group is somewhat difficult to circumscribe. This group generally represents the evergreen to mixed forests found on upper slopes and mesas that are typically drier and more fire-prone than the adjacent slopes and bottoms. It shares some species with ~Balconian Dry-Mesic Hardwood Forest Group (G028)$$. Species endemic or near-endemic to this group and G028 include Quercus buckleyi, Quercus sinuata var. breviloba, and Fraxinus albicans. Species generally ranging farther west include Quercus fusiformis, Quercus vaseyana, Celtis laevigata var. reticulata, Juniperus ashei, Prosopis glandulosa, Diospyros texana, Rhus trilobata, Opuntia engelmannii, Yucca elata, and Nolina texana. Species ranging farther east include Quercus stellata and Quercus marilandica. Natural vegetation dominated by Juniperus ashei may be difficult to distinguish from ruderal vegetation dominated by Juniperus ashei.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Physiognomic expression of this group varies from dense mottes (patches of forest where canopy cover approaches 100%) interspersed with grasslands to open savanna-like woodlands with scattered individual or small groups of trees. Many stands are dominated by the evergreen oak Quercus fusiformis, but mixed stands are also common, as are stands dominated by the evergreen conifer Juniperus ashei. Grasslands occur in small patches within more closed woodlands and in larger patches between mottes or in open savanna-like woodlands with scattered trees. Grasslands related to this group tend to grade from shortgrass communities in the west to mixedgrass communities to the east.

Floristics: Quercus fusiformis often dominates stands of this group. Other canopy species may include Fraxinus albicans (= Fraxinus texensis), Juniperus ashei, Pinus remota, Prosopis glandulosa, Quercus buckleyi, Quercus marilandica, Quercus sinuata, Quercus stellata, Quercus vaseyana, and Ulmus crassifolia. Depending on soils characteristics, understories can contain various shrubs and forbs, including Aesculus glabra var. arguta, Aloysia gratissima, Cercis canadensis var. texensis, Diospyros texana, Eysenhardtia texana, Forestiera pubescens, Stenaria nigricans (= Hedyotis nigricans), Juniperus ashei, Liatris punctata var. mucronata (= Liatris mucronata), Monarda citriodora, Nolina texana, Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (= Opuntia lindheimeri), Cylindropuntia leptocaulis (= Opuntia leptocaulis), Pinus remota, Plantago wrightiana, Rhus trilobata, Salvia texana, Sideroxylon lanuginosum, Stillingia texana, Symphyotrichum ericoides, Yucca elata, and Ziziphus obtusifolia var. obtusifolia. Grassy openings include Aristida oligantha, Aristida purpurea, Bothriochloa laguroides, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua hirsuta, Carex planostachys, Nassella leucotricha, Panicum virgatum, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans.

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  This upland mixed forest group occurs primarily on coarse soils underlain by metamorphic rocks and on fine-textured soils underlain by limestone. It occupies rolling uplands, upper slopes and mesatops in central Texas, extending north discontinuously into north Texas and south-central Oklahoma. The climate of this region is generally subtropical-subhumid to subtropical-semiarid, with aridity increasing from east to west through the region (Riskind and Diamond 1988).
Geographic Range: The geographic range of this group is centered in central Texas where it forms the matrix vegetation type of the Edwards Plateau, but ranges in a discontinuous manner north into south-central Oklahoma.

Nations: MX?,US

States/Provinces:  MXCOA?, MXNLE?, OK, TX


Confidence Level: High

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.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation F018 1.B.1
Division 1.B.1.Nd Madrean-Balconian Forest & Woodland Division D060 1.B.1.Nd
Macrogroup 1.B.1.Nd.3 Texas Red Oak - Texas Live Oak - Ashe''s Juniper Forest & Woodland Macrogroup M015 1.B.1.Nd.3
Group 1.B.1.Nd.3.a Texas Live Oak - Ashe''s Juniper Dry Forest & Woodland Group G126 1.B.1.Nd.3.a
Alliance A0477 Texas Live Oak - Ashe''s Juniper Woodland Alliance A0477 1.B.1.Nd.3.a
Alliance A3212 Ashe''s Juniper Woodland Alliance A3212 1.B.1.Nd.3.a
Alliance A3213 Texas Red Oak - White Shin Oak - Lacey Oak Dry Forest & Woodland Alliance A3213 1.B.1.Nd.3.a
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Andropogon-Quercus-Juniperus (Küchler 1964)
< Edwards Plateau Oak-Cedar (Tharp 1939)
> Edwards Plateau: Ashe Juniper Motte and Woodland (1101) [CES303.660.1] (Elliott 2011)
> Edwards Plateau: Deciduous Oak / Evergreen Motte and Woodland (1103) [CES303.660.4] (Elliott 2011)
> Edwards Plateau: Live Oak Motte and Woodland (1102) [CES303.660.2] (Elliott 2011)
> Edwards Plateau: Oak / Hardwood Motte and Woodland (1104) [CES303.660.5] (Elliott 2011)
> Edwards Plateau: Savanna Grassland (1107) [CES303.660.9] (Elliott 2011)
> Evergreen Woodland (Riskind and Diamond 1988)
> Evergreen Woodlands (Van Auken 1988)
< Juniper Woodland (Webster and Bahre 2001)
> Llano Uplift: Live Oak Woodland (1602) [CES303.657.2] (Elliott 2011)
Concept Author(s): J. Teague, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2011)

Author of Description: J. Teague

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 05-07-15
  • Amos, B., and C. Rowell, Jr. 1988. Floristic geography of woody plants. In: B. B. Amos and F. R. Gehlbach, editors. Edwards Plateau vegetation: Plant ecological studies in central Texas. Baylor University Press, Waco, TX.
  • Blair, W. F. 1950. The biotic provinces of Texas. Texas Journal of Science 2:93-117.
  • Dice, L. R. 1943. The biotic provinces of North America. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.
  • Elliott, L. 2011. Draft descriptions of systems, mapping subsystems, and vegetation types for Phases I, II, III, and IV. Unpublished documents. Texas Parks and Wildlife Ecological Systems Classification and Mapping Project. Texas Natural History Survey, The Nature Conservancy of Texas, San Antonio.
  • Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, S. Gawler, M. Hall, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, K. Schulz, J. Teague, M. Russo, K. Snow, and P. Comer, editors. 2010-2019a. Divisions, Macrogroups and Groups for the Revised U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. plus appendices. [in preparation]
  • Gehlbach, F. R. 1988. Forests and woodlands of the Northeastern Balcones Escarpment. Pages 27-77 in: B. B. Amos and F. R. Gehlbach, editors. Edwards Plateau vegetation: Plant ecological studies in central Texas. Baylor University Press, Waco, TX.
  • Küchler, A. W. 1964. Potential natural vegetation of the conterminous United States. American Geographic Society Special Publication 36. New York, NY. 116 pp.
  • McLaughlin, S. P. 2007. Tundra to Tropics: The floristic plant geography of North America. Sida Botanical Miscellany Publication 30:1-58.
  • Riskind, D. H., and D. D. Diamond. 1988. An introduction to environments and vegetation. Pages 1-15 in: B. B. Amos and F. R. Gehlbach, editors. Edwards Plateau vegetation: Plant ecological studies in central Texas. Baylor University Press, Waco, TX.
  • Tharp, B. C. 1939. The vegetation of Texas. Texas Academy of Science, Nontechnical Publication Series, Austin.
  • Van Auken, O. 1988. Woody vegetation of the southeastern escarpment and plateau. In: B. B. Amos and F. R. Gehlbach, editors. Edwards Plateau vegetation: Plant ecological studies in central Texas. Baylor University Press, Waco, TX.
  • Van Auken, O., A. L. Ford, and J. L. Allen. 1981. An ecological comparison of upland deciduous and evergreen forests of central Texas. American Journal of Botany 68:1249-1256.
  • Walters, T. W., and R. Wyatt. 1982. The vascular flora of granite outcrops in the Central Mineral Region of Texas. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 109:344-364.
  • Webster, G. L. 2001. Reconnaissance of the flora and vegetation of La Frontera. Pages 6-38 in: G. L. Webster and C. J. Bahre, editors. Changing plant life of La Frontera: Observations of vegetation in the United States/Mexico borderlands. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM.
  • Webster, G. L., and C. J. Bahre, editors. 2001. Changing plant life of La Frontera: Observations of vegetation in the United States/Mexico borderlands. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM.
  • Whitehouse, E. 1933. Plant succession on central Texas granite. Ecology 14:391-405.