Print Report
A0942 Alnus maritima ssp. oklahomensis Wet Shrubland Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: Shrublands in this alliance are dominated by Alnus maritima ssp. oklahomensis, occurring on cobble bars and riparian zones in southern Oklahoma.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Oklahoma Alder Wet Shrubland Alliance
Colloquial Name: Oklahoma Alder Wet Shrubland
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: Shrublands in this alliance are dominated by Alnus maritima. This alliance currently contains only one association that occurs on cobble bars and riparian zones in southern Oklahoma, where the stands are dominated by Alnus maritima ssp. oklahomensis. An associated species is Amorpha fruticosa. Other subspecies of Alnus maritima are also known from Georgia, and from southern Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This riparian shrubland is dominated by Alnus maritima ssp. oklahomensis.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The three disjunct populations of Alnus maritima (in Oklahoma, Georgia, and the Delmarva Peninsula) are remnants of a once widespread population. It is suspected that during the Holocene glaciation, conditions suitable for Alnus maritima, i.e., sunny, wet, disturbed sites on nutrient-poor gravel or sand, were much more widespread in what is now the eastern United States, but with the retreat of the last glacier, sites available for primary succession diminished and the species began to decline and populations fragmented (Schrader and Graves 2004, Schrader et al. 2006).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Stands in this alliance are dominated by tall shrubs.
Floristics: Shrublands in this alliance are dominated by Alnus maritima ssp. oklahomensis. An associated species is Amorpha fruticosa.
Dynamics: Alnus maritima ssp. oklahomensis can withstand flooding and sprouts vigorously after scour damage, but seedlings do not persist under a shaded canopy (Schrader et al. 2006). The species is best suited to sites undergoing primary succession after severe disturbance (Schrader et al. 2006).
Environmental Description: This alliance currently contains only one association that occurs on cobble bars and riparian zones in southern Oklahoma, where the stands are dominated by Alnus maritima ssp. oklahomensis. Alnus maritima ssp. oklahomensis grows in slightly to moderately alkaline soils, low in nitrate and potassium, very low in phosphorus, and high in calcium and magnesium, found along fast-flowing streams in southern Oklahoma, where the summers are very hot and dry (Schrader and Graves 2002).
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in a very limited area of southern Oklahoma.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: OK
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899045
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D323 | 2.C.4.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nd.5 Prairie Cordgrass - Cattail species - Bulrush species Great Plains Marsh, Wet Meadow, Shrubland & Playa Macrogroup | M071 | 2.C.4.Nd.5 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.5.c Dogwood species - Chokecherry / Western Wheatgrass Great Plains Riparian Wet Meadow & Shrubland Group | G337 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.c |
| Alliance | A0942 Oklahoma Alder Wet Shrubland Alliance | A0942 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.c |
| Association | CEGL004455 Oklahoma Alder - False Indigobush Wet Shrubland | CEGL004455 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.c |
Concept Lineage: This alliance equals old A.942.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Alnus maritima shrubland alliance (Hoagland 1998a)
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, M. Hall, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, L. Sneddon, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2013-2019b. Screening alliances for induction into the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Part 1 - Alliance concept review. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Hoagland, B. W. 1998a. Classification of Oklahoma vegetation types. Working draft. University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, Norman. 43 pp.
- Schrader, J. A., W. R. Graves, S. A. Rice, and J. P. Gibson. 2006. Differences in shade tolerance help explain varying success of two sympatric Alnus species. International Journal of Plant Sciences 167(5):979-989.
- Schrader, J. A., and W. R. Graves. 2002. Infraspecific systematics of Alnus maritima (Betulaceae) from three widely disjunct provenances. Castanea 67:380-401.
- Schrader, J. A., and W. R. Graves. 2004. Systematics of Alnus maritima (seaside alder) resolved by ISSR polymorphisms and morphological characteristics. Journal of the American Society of Horticultural Science 129:231-236.