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CEGL004031 Platanus occidentalis / Dichanthelium clandestinum - Festuca subverticillata Floodplain Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: American Sycamore / Deertongue - Nodding Fescue Floodplain Forest
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian River Bar Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This natural early-successional community occurs in the Southern Blue Ridge of North Carolina and Tennessee and presumably in the adjacent Piedmont and possibly Ridge and Valley, and likely occurs in adjacent states. It is found on coarse-textured or mixed-textured depositional bars and islands subject to frequent flooding and scouring. Soils are usually sandy, periodically droughty when exposed, and tightly packed in a matrix of cobbles or boulders. Local microsites may have a significant silt component and be poorly drained. The physiognomy of this community is extremely variable with frequency of disturbance and time since last disturbance. Vegetation is extremely variable in structure and composition. Platanus occidentalis is the most frequent woody dominant, with Cornus amomum also frequent. Other common woody species include Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Liquidambar styraciflua, Salix nigra, Ulmus alata, Nyssa sylvatica, and Acer rubrum. Herbaceous vegetation is often extremely diverse, and is a mixture of species shared with floodplain forests, upland forests, and weedy species. Species with frequency over 70% include Dichanthelium clandestinum, Oenothera biennis, Elymus spp., Solidago rugosa, Verbesina alternifolia, Apios americana, Boehmeria cylindrica, Impatiens capensis, Juncus tenuis, Lycopus virginicus, Polygonum cespitosum var. longisetum, Viola sororia, and the exotics Artemisia vulgaris and Rumex crispus. Vines are often present; Clematis virginiana and Parthenocissus quinquefolia occur with high frequency.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The description of this community is derived largely from Brown (2002). However, Brown studied only three rivers, and most of her data on bar communities came from the Nolichucky River. Frequency values may not apply more broadly, and examples on other rivers may differ substantially. Given the spatial and temporal variability of these communities, this association should be interpreted broadly. Brown recognized two bar communities that are combined here: Platanus occidentalis - Betula nigra Woodland and Platanus occidentalis / Cornus amomum Shrubland. They are very similar except for the difference in the abundance of the second nominal species. Similar associations have been described for the Central Appalachians. They share many of the dominant species. Important differences include the absence of Acer saccharinum in this association, less importance of prairie grasses, and significant differences in overall flora.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The physiognomy of this community is extremely variable with frequency of disturbance and time since last disturbance. Some are true woodlands, with substantial cover of fairly large, though battered, trees. Others are shrublands dominated by young or stunted trees or shrubs. Some have little woody cover, or are shaded by trees from adjacent banks. Herbaceous cover is often sparse, but is patchy and may be dense locally. Herbaceous cover in particular may change radically in a single flood. Vegetation is extremely variable. Platanus occidentalis is the most frequent woody dominant, with Cornus amomum also frequent. Other common woody species include Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Liquidambar styraciflua, Salix nigra, Ulmus alata, Nyssa sylvatica, and Acer rubrum. Herbaceous vegetation is often extremely diverse, and is a mixture of species shared with floodplain forests, upland forests, and weedy species. Species with frequency over 70% include Dichanthelium clandestinum, Oenothera biennis, Elymus spp., Solidago rugosa, Verbesina alternifolia, Apios americana, Boehmeria cylindrica, Impatiens capensis, Juncus tenuis, Lycopus virginicus, Polygonum cespitosum var. longisetum (= Persicaria longiseta), and Viola sororia. Vines are often present; Clematis virginiana and Parthenocissus quinquefolia occur with high frequency. These communities often have a number of exotic species. Microstegium vimineum was found with 100% frequency. Lonicera japonica, Polygonum cuspidatum, Rumex crispus, Hesperis matronalis, Dioscorea oppositifolia, and Artemisia vulgaris occur with high frequency, and numerous other exotic species are sometimes found.
Dynamics: These communities are maintained by flood disturbance and would quickly grow into floodplain forest if it ceased. Their high species richness and large number of weedy and exotic species result from seed transport by floods. Vegetation may change substantially from one year to the next as a result of floods, and may undergo succession in intervals between large floods.
Environmental Description: This is a natural early-successional community of coarse-textured or mixed-textured depositional bars and islands subject to frequent flooding and scouring. Soils are usually sandy, periodically droughty when exposed, and tightly packed in a matrix of cobbles or boulders. Local microsites may have a significant silt component and be poorly drained.
Geographic Range: This association is documented in the Southern Blue Ridge of North Carolina and Tennessee. It presumably occurs in the adjacent Piedmont and possibly Ridge and Valley, and likely occurs in adjacent states. Most of the data (Brown 2002) are from the Nolichucky River of North Carolina and Tennessee, with some from the New and Little Tennessee rivers of North Carolina.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA?, NC, SC?, TN, VA?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.839087
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4
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 | A3702 American Sycamore - Sweetgum - Tuliptree Southern Appalachian Floodplain Forest Alliance | A3702 | 1.B.3.Na.1.b |
| Association | CEGL004031 American Sycamore / Deertongue - Nodding Fescue Floodplain Forest | CEGL004031 | 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 - Betula nigra Woodland (Brown 2002)
> Platanus occidentalis / Cornus amomum Shrubland (Brown 2002)
= Rocky Bar and Shore (Mixed Bar Subtype) (Schafale 2012)
> Platanus occidentalis / Cornus amomum Shrubland (Brown 2002)
= Rocky Bar and Shore (Mixed Bar Subtype) (Schafale 2012)
- Brown, R. L. 2002. Biodiversity and exotic species invasion in Southern Appalachian riparian plant communities. Ph.D dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 156 pp.
- Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.
- Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. No date. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.
- Schafale, Mike P. Personal communication. Ecologist, North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.