Print Report
M015 Quercus buckleyi - Quercus fusiformis - Juniperus ashei Forest & Woodland Macrogroup
Type Concept Sentence: These dry-mesic to dry hardwood and mixed forests and woodlands, dominated by Quercus buckleyi, Quercus fusiformis, and Juniperus ashei, are found in Texas, in parts of the Edwards Plateau west into the Stockton Plateau and north into the Arbuckle Mountains, as well as in part of south-central Oklahoma.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Texas Red Oak - Texas Live Oak - Ashe''s Juniper Forest & Woodland Macrogroup
Colloquial Name: Balconian Forest & Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Macrogroup
Type Concept: These dry-mesic to dry hardwood and mixed forests and woodlands are found in Texas, in parts of the Edwards Plateau, west into the Stockton Plateau and north into the Arbuckle Mountains as well as in parts of south-central Oklahoma. The physiognomic expression varies from closed-canopy stands and dense mottes (patches of forest where canopy cover approaches 100%) interspersed with grasslands to open savanna-like woodlands with scattered individuals or small groups of trees. Quercus buckleyi is present to dominant in the more dry-mesic stands, Quercus fusiformis in the drier ones. Other dominants vary regionally and include Acer grandidentatum, Quercus laceyi, Quercus muehlenbergii, and Quercus sinuata. In addition, Juglans major is also common in more mesic stands. Other diagnostic trees sometimes present include Arbutus xalapensis, Celtis laevigata var. laevigata, Celtis laevigata var. reticulata, Fraxinus albicans, Prosopis glandulosa, Prunus serotina, Quercus marilandica, Quercus stellata, Quercus vaseyana, and Ulmus crassifolia. Diagnostic shrubs may include Aesculus pavia, Forestiera pubescens, Frangula caroliniana, Juniperus ashei, Lindera benzoin, Prunus mexicana, and Ungnadia speciosa. Grasslands related to the drier phase of this vegetation tend to grade from shortgrass communities in the west to mixedgrass communities in 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 macrogroup is somewhat difficult to circumscribe. This macrogroup ranges in environment and composition from predominantly deciduous forests found on rocky upland slopes that are typically more mesic and less fire-prone than the surrounding uplands [see ~Balconian Dry-Mesic Hardwood Forest Group (G028)$$] to evergreen to mixed forests found on upper slopes and mesas that are typically drier and more fire-prone than the adjacent slopes and bottoms [see ~Balconian Dry Forest & Woodland Group (G126)$$]. Species endemic or near-endemic to this vegetation include Clematis texensis, Fraxinus albicans, Quercus buckleyi, Quercus laceyi, Quercus sinuata var. breviloba, and Salvia penstemonoides. Species generally ranging farther west include Acer grandidentatum, Celtis laevigata var. reticulata, Diospyros texana, Juglans major, Juniperus ashei, Nolina texana, Opuntia engelmannii, Prosopis glandulosa, Quercus fusiformis, Quercus vaseyana, Rhus trilobata, Ungnadia speciosa, and Yucca elata. Several studies suggest the presence of this deciduous forest and woodland vegetation (Van Auken et al. 1981, Gehlbach 1988, Riskind and Diamond 1988, Van Auken 1988). Southern mixedgrass grassland associations of ~Great Plains Mixedgrass & Fescue Prairie Macrogroup (M051)$$ extend into the Edwards Plateau area, adjacent to open savannas of this macrogroup.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: The more mesic component (G028) of this vegetation is primarily deciduous but has some evergreen components. In contrast, adjacent drier upland vegetation is primarily dominated by grasslands or evergreen woodlands. The structure is that of a short, open to closed forest. In closed-canopy examples, the shrub layer is often patchily well-developed and the ground flora is generally poorly developed. The drier component (G126) of this vegetation has a physiognomic expression that 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. 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 in the east.
Floristics: The dry-mesic to mesic component (G028) of this vegetation is characterized by an open to closed tree canopy that is floristically variable across the region. Common, but not necessarily dominant, components include Juglans major, Juniperus ashei, and Quercus buckleyi. Other canopy dominants vary regionally and may include Acer grandidentatum, Quercus laceyi, and Quercus muehlenbergii. Other diagnostic trees which are sometimes present include Arbutus xalapensis, Celtis laevigata var. reticulata, Fraxinus albicans (= Fraxinus texensis), Prunus serotina, and Ulmus crassifolia. Other trees that can occur in this group are Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus sinuata var. breviloba, and Quercus stellata. Diagnostic shrubs may include Aesculus pavia, Cercis canadensis var. texensis, Forestiera pubescens, Frangula caroliniana (= Rhamnus caroliniana), Juniperus ashei, Lindera benzoin, Prunus mexicana, and Ungnadia speciosa. Other shrubs include Ageratina havanensis (= Eupatorium havanense), Diospyros texana, Garrya ovata ssp. lindheimeri (= Garrya lindheimeri), Ptelea trifoliata, and Viburnum rufidulum.
Stands of the drier component (G126) of this vegetation are often dominated by Quercus fusiformis. Other canopy species may include Fraxinus albicans, Juniperus ashei, Prosopis glandulosa, Quercus buckleyi, Quercus marilandica, Quercus sinuata, Quercus stellata, Quercus vaseyana, and Ulmus crassifolia. Depending on soil characteristics, understories can contain various shrubs and forbs, including Aesculus glabra var. arguta, Aloysia gratissima, Eysenhardtia texana, Forestiera pubescens, Stenaria nigricans (= Hedyotis nigricans), Liatris punctata var. mucronata (= Liatris mucronata), Monarda citriodora, Nolina texana, Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (= Opuntia lindheimeri), Cylindropuntia leptocaulis (= Opuntia leptocaulis), Plantago wrightiana, Rhus trilobata, Salvia texana, Sideroxylon lanuginosum, Stillingia texana, Symphyotrichum ericoides, Yucca elata, and Ziziphus obtusifolia var. obtusifolia. Vegetation of grassy openings includes Andropogon gerardii, Aristida oligantha, Aristida purpurea, Bothriochloa laguroides, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua hirsuta, Carex planostachys, Hilaria belangeri, Nassella leucotricha, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans.
Stands of the drier component (G126) of this vegetation are often dominated by Quercus fusiformis. Other canopy species may include Fraxinus albicans, Juniperus ashei, Prosopis glandulosa, Quercus buckleyi, Quercus marilandica, Quercus sinuata, Quercus stellata, Quercus vaseyana, and Ulmus crassifolia. Depending on soil characteristics, understories can contain various shrubs and forbs, including Aesculus glabra var. arguta, Aloysia gratissima, Eysenhardtia texana, Forestiera pubescens, Stenaria nigricans (= Hedyotis nigricans), Liatris punctata var. mucronata (= Liatris mucronata), Monarda citriodora, Nolina texana, Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (= Opuntia lindheimeri), Cylindropuntia leptocaulis (= Opuntia leptocaulis), Plantago wrightiana, Rhus trilobata, Salvia texana, Sideroxylon lanuginosum, Stillingia texana, Symphyotrichum ericoides, Yucca elata, and Ziziphus obtusifolia var. obtusifolia. Vegetation of grassy openings includes Andropogon gerardii, Aristida oligantha, Aristida purpurea, Bothriochloa laguroides, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua hirsuta, Carex planostachys, Hilaria belangeri, Nassella leucotricha, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: The habitat for these forests and woodlands includes mesic to dry-mesic limestone slopes in dissected parts of the Edwards Plateau region of Texas and the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma, as well as coarse soils underlain by metamorphic rocks and on fine-textured soils underlain by limestone. The habitat of the former (~Edwards Plateau Dry-Mesic Hardwood Forest Group (G028)$$) is generally more mesic and less fire-prone than the surrounding landscape (Van Auken et al. 1981). The latter (~Edwards Plateau Dry Forest & Woodland Group (G126)$$) occupies rolling uplands, upper slopes and mesatops. The climate of this region is generally subtropical-subhumid to subtropical-semiarid, with aridity increasing from east to west through the region, although local maxima occur in the southwestern part of the range where the Balcones Uplift rises abruptly from the lower South Texas Plains (Riskind and Diamond 1988).
Geographic Range: These woodlands and forests range from the Edwards Plateau of south-central Texas north into the Arbuckle Mountains of southern Oklahoma and west into the Stockton Plateau of Texas.
Nations: MX?,US
States/Provinces: OK, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.838446
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.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 |
| Group | 1.B.1.Nd.3.b Texas Red Oak - Arizona Walnut / Ashe''s Juniper Dry-Mesic Forest Group | G028 | 1.B.1.Nd.3.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Canyons and Riparian Woodlands (Webster 2001)
> Deciduous Woodland (Riskind and Diamond 1988)
< Edwards Plateau Oak-Cedar (Tharp 1939)
> Evergreen Woodland (Riskind and Diamond 1988)
> Evergreen Woodlands (Van Auken 1988)
< Juniper Woodland (Webster 2001)
< Juniper Woodland (Webster and Bahre 2001)
> North Slope Deciduous Forest (Van Auken 1988)
> Deciduous Woodland (Riskind and Diamond 1988)
< Edwards Plateau Oak-Cedar (Tharp 1939)
> Evergreen Woodland (Riskind and Diamond 1988)
> Evergreen Woodlands (Van Auken 1988)
< Juniper Woodland (Webster 2001)
< Juniper Woodland (Webster and Bahre 2001)
> North Slope Deciduous Forest (Van Auken 1988)
- 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.
- 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.
- McLaughlin, S. P. 2007. Tundra to Tropics: The floristic plant geography of North America. Sida Botanical Miscellany Publication 30:1-58.
- Palmer, E. J. 1920. The canyon flora of the Edwards Plateau of Texas. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 1:233-239.
- 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.