Print Report

A3273 Quercus muehlenbergii - Fraxinus quadrangulata - Juniperus virginiana Woodland Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This alliance includes a variety of woodlands that are dominated by some combination of dry-site, basophilic Quercus species (e.g., Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus stellata), Fraxinus quadrangulata, and Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana found on shallow soils derived from limestones, dolomites, or other calcareous rocks.


Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Chinquapin Oak - Blue Ash - Eastern Red-cedar Woodland Alliance

Colloquial Name: Chinquapin Oak - Blue Ash - Eastern Red-cedar Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This alliance includes a variety of woodlands found on shallow soils derived from limestones, dolomites, or other calcareous rocks. Stands are dominated by some combination of dry-site, basophilic Quercus species (e.g., Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus stellata), Fraxinus quadrangulata, and Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana. Other canopy or subcanopy species present may include Carya ovata, Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Celtis laevigata, Celtis occidentalis, Cercis canadensis, Ulmus alata, and/or Ulmus serotina. Some typical shrubs include Forestiera ligustrina, Frangula caroliniana, Hypericum frondosum, Prunus angustifolia, Rhus aromatica, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Sideroxylon lycioides, and Viburnum rufidulum. Some herbs that may be found include Astranthium integrifolium, Lithospermum canescens, Polymnia canadensis, and Schizachyrium scoparium. The unusual (and mostly historic) ~Fraxinus quadrangulata - Quercus macrocarpa - Quercus muehlenbergii / Arundinaria gigantea / Elymus spp. Woodland (CEGL004436)$$ of Kentucky would have contained Aesculus glabra, Gymnocladus dioicus, and Juglans nigra, and Carya laciniosa and Quercus shumardii in moister areas, with extensive locally dominant swards of Arundinaria gigantea. This woodland vegetation occurs primarily in dry rocky sites, which contain outcrops of Ordovician (or Mississippian) limestone or dolomite, including ridges, isolated eroded knobs, or upper slopes. Soils primarily accumulate in fissures between the limestone. It may occur in association with limestone glades, or as a small patch within a matrix of dry to dry-mesic limestone oak forest.

Diagnostic Characteristics: The ranges of Quercus muehlenbergii and Fraxinus quadrangulata are somewhat limited, both geographically and in terms of their preferred base-rich substrate, so this combination is diagnostic. In contrast to the related forest alliance (A2060), these are associations with more open canopies and more diverse, herb-rich ground layers.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Some vegetation placed here (e.g., ~Juniperus virginiana - Fraxinus quadrangulata / Symphyotrichum oblongifolium - Panicum flexile - Sedum pulchellum Woodland (CEGL004271)$$) may in fact be a mosaic of an herbaceous phase with a prominent grass- or forb-dominated stratum and a more closed phase dominated by Juniperus virginiana and Fraxinus quadrangulata.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available

Physiognomy and Structure: These are generally deciduous, open-canopy woodlands. Oaks are mixed with a variety of other hardwoods with Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana present in the understory. Ground layers were most likely historically grassy, but may today be more shrubby. The presence of Acer saccharum in the former deep-soil mesic woodlands of the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky is a symptom of fire suppression.

Floristics: Stands are dominated by some combination of dry-site, basophilic Quercus species (e.g. Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus stellata), Fraxinus quadrangulata, and Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana. Other canopy or subcanopy species present may include Carya ovata, Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Celtis laevigata, Celtis occidentalis, Cercis canadensis, Ulmus alata, and/or Ulmus serotina. Oaks may or may not be dominant. Some typical shrubs include Forestiera ligustrina, Frangula caroliniana, Hypericum frondosum, Prunus angustifolia, Rhus aromatica, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Sideroxylon lycioides, and Viburnum rufidulum. Some herbs that may be found include Astranthium integrifolium, Commelina erecta var. angustifolia, Croton monanthogynus, Euphorbia dentata, Lithospermum canescens, Minuartia patula (= Arenaria patula), Opuntia humifusa, Polymnia canadensis, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sedum pulchellum, Symphyotrichum shortii (= Aster shortii), and Verbesina virginica. The ground layer in some examples may contain greater coverage of ferns (Cheilanthes lanosa, Pellaea atropurpurea), mosses (e.g., Pleurochaete squarrosa, Thuidium delicatulum, Climacium americanum), and foliose lichens (Cladonia spp.) than of flowering herbs. The unusual (and mostly historic) ~Fraxinus quadrangulata - Quercus macrocarpa - Quercus muehlenbergii / Arundinaria gigantea / Elymus spp. Woodland (CEGL004436)$$ of Kentucky would have contained Aesculus glabra, Gymnocladus dioicus, and Juglans nigra, and Carya laciniosa and Quercus shumardii in moister areas (Bryant et al. 1980), with extensive locally dominant swards of Arundinaria gigantea (= ssp. gigantea). An abundance of Acer saccharum may be a symptom of a lack of fire. The herb layer was well-developed in more open areas (presumably as a result of fire and bison browse), with species such as Ageratina altissima var. altissima, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Elymus spp., Poa pratensis, Tridens flavus, and Trifolium stoloniferum.

Dynamics:  The canopies of these stands are kept open by a combination of edaphic factors and periodic fire. Some examples are on ridges or isolated knobs where fire may have been less frequent. In the absence of fire, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana may become dense in the understory. The woodland structure of the deep-soil mesic woodlands of the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky were maintained by fire and bison browse, as well as possibly by periodic severe drought.

Environmental Description:  This woodland vegetation occurs primarily in dry rocky sites, which contain outcrops of Ordovician (or Mississippian) limestone or dolomite, including ridges, isolated eroded knobs, or upper slopes. Soils primarily accumulate in fissures between the limestone. It may occur in association with limestone glades, or as a small patch within a matrix of dry to dry-mesic limestone oak forest.

Geographic Range: This alliance is primarily found in the Interior Low Plateau and Ridge and Valley regions of the United States, from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama and Georgia, with one association attributed to the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri. It may range marginally northwest of the Ozarks into adjacent ecoregions, and similarly southeast into the adjacent Upper Gulf Coastal Plain. It probably occurs in the Ouachitas, but no associations have been documented from there.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AL, AR, GA?, IN?, KY, MO, MS, TN, 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.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation F008 1.B.2
Division 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division D008 1.B.2.Na
Macrogroup 1.B.2.Na.1 White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Shortleaf Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup M016 1.B.2.Na.1
Group 1.B.2.Na.1.e Chinquapin Oak - Shumard Oak - Blue Ash Forest & Woodland Group G601 1.B.2.Na.1.e
Alliance A3273 Chinquapin Oak - Blue Ash - Eastern Red-cedar Woodland Alliance A3273 1.B.2.Na.1.e
Association CEGL002143 Chinquapin Oak - (Blue Ash, White Ash) / Little Bluestem Woodland CEGL002143 1.B.2.Na.1.e
Association CEGL003754 Eastern Red-cedar - Blue Ash / White-flower Leafcup - (Entireleaf Western-daisy) Woodland CEGL003754 1.B.2.Na.1.e
Association CEGL003758 Chinquapin Oak - Southern Shagbark Hickory / (Southern Sugar Maple, Chalk Maple) / Alabama Croton Woodland CEGL003758 1.B.2.Na.1.e
Association CEGL004267 Chinquapin Oak - (Eastern Red-cedar) Unglaciated Bluff Woodland CEGL004267 1.B.2.Na.1.e
Association CEGL004271 Eastern Red-cedar - Blue Ash / Aromatic Aster - Wiry Panicgrass - Widow''s-cross Woodland CEGL004271 1.B.2.Na.1.e
Association CEGL007747 Eastern Red-cedar - (Sugarberry, Chickasaw Plum, Buckthorn Bully) Woodland CEGL007747 1.B.2.Na.1.e
Association CEGL007994 Blue Ash - Eastern Red-cedar / Little Bluestem - Hoary Puccoon Woodland CEGL007994 1.B.2.Na.1.e

Concept Lineage: The associations placed here come from a variety of old alliances: A.1913 (4/4), A.621 (3/11), A.545 (1/11), A.604 (1/6), and A.605 (1/1).

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available

Synonomy: ? Carya - Juniperus - Quercus Community? (Crites and Clebsch 1986)
>< IB5b. Eastern Red Cedar Glade Border Woodland (Allard 1990)

Concept Author(s): M. Pyne, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2013)

Author of Description: M. Pyne

Acknowledgements: We have incorporated significant descriptive information previously compiled by A.S. Weakley, J. Campbell, and M. Evans.

Version Date: 09-26-14

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