Print Report

A0196 Chamaecyparis thyoides Swamp Forest Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: These warm-temperate Southeastern Coastal Plain Chamaecyparis thyoides forests may be mixed with Pinus elliottii var. elliottii, Pinus serotina, or broad-leaved deciduous trees and are found in wetlands on saturated, peaty substrates usually over sand.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Atlantic White-cedar Swamp Forest Alliance

Colloquial Name: Southeastern Coastal Plain Atlantic White-cedar Swamp Forest

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: The canopy of forests in this alliance may be heavily dominated by Chamaecyparis thyoides, or they may contain Pinus elliottii var. elliottii in Florida basins or Pinus serotina in North Carolina peat domes or broad-leaved deciduous trees, such as Acer rubrum var. trilobum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa biflora, or Persea palustris. The subcanopy may contain Acer rubrum var. trilobum, Cliftonia monophylla, Magnolia virginiana, Nyssa biflora, and Persea palustris. Sabal palmetto and Serenoa repens are abundant on hummocks in one Florida association. The shrub stratum ranges from open to dense and may contain Clethra alnifolia, Cyrilla racemiflora, Gaylussacia frondosa, Ilex coriacea, Ilex glabra, Ilex laevigata, Ilex verticillata, Lyonia lucida, Magnolia virginiana, Persea palustris, Rhododendron viscosum, Smilax laurifolia, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Vaccinium formosum. The herbaceous stratum is sparse to well-developed and may contain Carex atlantica, Carex collinsii, Carex striata, Drosera spp., Mitchella repens, Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Pogonia ophioglossoides, Sarracenia purpurea, Thelypteris palustris, Woodwardia areolata, and Woodwardia virginica. Sphagnum spp., other nonvascular plants, and lichens may be common on exposed peat and rotting wood. These Chamaecyparis thyoides forests and woodlands are found on saturated, peaty substrates, usually over sand. Chamaecyparis thyoides tolerates only brief inundation.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Forests and woodlands in the Southeastern Coastal Plain which are dominated or codominated by Chamaecyparis thyoides. These forests often are on saturated peat over sands.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Clewell and Ward (1987) describe a community along backswamps of larger rivers in Florida and along the Gulf Coast where "flooding is nominal." This could represent an additional association. This could be further separated using HGM wetlands classification into a juniper riverine swamp forest alliance and a juniper flat swamp forest alliance.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Forests and woodlands dominated or codominated by the evergreen needle-leaved tree Chamaecyparis thyoides. These forests may contain broad-leaved deciduous trees such as Acer rubrum var. trilobum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa biflora, or Persea palustris. Some examples may have stunted trees with canopy closures less than 25% and could be classified as "grasslands with a sparse tree layer."

Floristics: The canopy of forests in this alliance may be heavily dominated by Chamaecyparis thyoides, or they may contain broad-leaved deciduous trees (for instance as Acer rubrum var. trilobum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa biflora, or Persea palustris) or needle-leaved evergreen trees (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii in Florida basins, Pinus serotina in North Carolina peat domes). The subcanopy may contain trees such as Acer rubrum var. trilobum, Cliftonia monophylla, Magnolia virginiana, Nyssa biflora, and Persea palustris. Sabal palmetto and Serenoa repens are abundant on hummocks in one Florida association. The shrub stratum ranges from open to dense and may contain Clethra alnifolia, Cyrilla racemiflora, Gaylussacia frondosa (= var. frondosa), Ilex coriacea, Ilex glabra, Ilex glabra, Ilex laevigata, Ilex verticillata, Lyonia lucida, Magnolia virginiana, Persea palustris, Rhododendron viscosum, Smilax laurifolia, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Vaccinium formosum in the southern portion of the range. In some examples, Rhododendron maximum forms a nearly impenetrable shrub thicket. The herbaceous stratum is sparse to well-developed and may contain Carex atlantica, Carex collinsii, Carex striata, Drosera spp., Mitchella repens, Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Pogonia ophioglossoides, Sarracenia purpurea, Thelypteris palustris, Woodwardia areolata, and Woodwardia virginica. Sphagnum spp., other nonvascular plants, and lichens may be common on exposed peat and rotting wood. Seepage stream examples have a dense shrub layer of Cyrilla racemiflora and other evergreen shrubs, such as Cliftonia monophylla, Ilex coriacea, Ilex glabra, and Lyonia lucida. One of the saturated/tidally-dammed types reportedly contains Chamaecyparis thyoides, with Pinus elliottii var. elliottii and Acer rubrum over an herbaceous layer of Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense.

Dynamics:  Fires are infrequent and less destructive than in the northern range of Chamaecyparis thyoides (Wiseman 1986, Clewell and Ward 1987, Laderman 1989). Gap succession may be more important in this community than post-fire regeneration and accounts for the mixed, uneven-aged stands. Lightning strikes are the main cause of mortality in mature white-cedar trees within the range of this association. Chamaecyparis thyoides communities are early-successional but Chamaecyparis thyoides is a long-lived species (250+ years); gap regeneration is hypothesized to be the primary means of reproduction. The community often succeeds to itself following fire or other disturbance. In the absence of fire and adequate gap regeneration, Atlantic white-cedar forests may be replaced by bay forest. Known examples are generally neither flood-prone, nor exposed to frequent fire. One association is thought to become established following fire, with a fire return time of 25-100+ years.
Environmental Description:  Examples of this alliance may be found along small blackwater or spring-fed streams not subject to much flooding or siltation (in Florida and the East Gulf Coastal Plain); along streams or at seepages (in the Fall-line Sandhills, especially in the Carolinas); or in Panhandle Florida in large, constantly saturated basins (inundated under several feet of water during the spring) where fire is an infrequent event; as well as in peat dome forests of North Carolina and Virginia dominated by Chamaecyparis thyoides and Pinus serotina. Soils may be acidic peats but are usually circumneutral sands or sands overlain by peat. Soils are generally organic Histosols, composed of sand and peat, are permanently saturated, and include Histosols (Saprists and Hemists); the pH may be circumneutral or slightly acidic.

This alliance includes stream woodlands with a scattered to open canopy of Chamaecyparis thyoides, both Florida Panhandle and Alabama "seepage stream" or "streamside baygall" examples, as well as other types located at the mouths of rivers whose hydrology is influenced by "tidal damming." The seepage streamside habitats of the Panhandle are normally linear, from 30-100 m wide, and extend along streams in saturated, highly acidic, coarse-sandy situations.
Geographic Range: This alliance occurs on the Southeastern Coastal Plain from Maryland and Virginia south to Florida, and west to Alabama and Mississippi.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AL, FL, GA, MD, MS, NC, SC, VA


Confidence Level: Low

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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation F026 1.B.3
Division 1.B.3.Nb Southeastern North American Flooded & Swamp Forest Division D062 1.B.3.Nb
Macrogroup 1.B.3.Nb.3 Sweetbay - Swamp Bay - Pond Pine Swamp Forest Macrogroup M032 1.B.3.Nb.3
Group 1.B.3.Nb.3.a Sweetbay - Loblolly-bay - Pond Pine Swamp Forest Group G037 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Alliance A0196 Atlantic White-cedar Swamp Forest Alliance A0196 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Association CEGL003634 Atlantic White-cedar / Swamp Titi - Buckwheat-tree - Large Gallberry Swamp Woodland CEGL003634 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Association CEGL006146 Atlantic White-cedar / Swamp Bay / Shining Fetterbush - Large Gallberry Swamp Forest CEGL006146 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Association CEGL007145 Atlantic White-cedar - Slash Pine / Swamp Tupelo - Carolina Red Maple / Saw Palmetto Swamp Forest CEGL007145 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Association CEGL007151 Atlantic White-cedar / Sweetbay - Buckwheat-tree / Goldenclub - Peatmoss species Swamp Forest CEGL007151 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Association CEGL007563 Atlantic White-cedar - (Tuliptree) / Shining Fetterbush Swamp Forest CEGL007563 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Association CEGL008556 Slash Pine - Water Oak - Atlantic White-cedar / Swamp Titi - Blueberry species Swamp Forest CEGL008556 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Association CEGL008598 Atlantic White-cedar - Cabbage Palmetto Swamp Forest CEGL008598 1.B.3.Nb.3.a
Concept Lineage: This is the same as old alliance A.196, but association CEGL003634 is added from old alliance A.575, and CEGL008556 is added from old alliance A.437. (pasted in from A.196 with some edits)

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Atlantic White Cedar Swamps (Edwards et al. 2013)
>< Atlantic White-Cedar: 97 (Eyre 1980)
>< IIA2b. Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Forest (Allard 1990)
>< Mesotrophic Saturated Forest (Rawinski 1992)
Concept Author(s): D.J. Allard and S.L. Neid, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2013)

Author of Description: C. Nordman

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 09-26-14
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