Print Report

A3317 Panicum virgatum - Panicum anceps Coastal Plain Prairie Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: These are moist to wet patch prairies with restricted distributions from the coastal plains of the southeastern United States, including the Grand Prairie Subsection of Arkansas, parts of the Mississippi River Alluvial Basin Section, the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas, and related areas. Examples are dominated by Panicum anceps, Panicum virgatum, and/or Tripsacum dactyloides.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Switchgrass - Beaked Panicgrass Coastal Plain Prairie Alliance

Colloquial Name: Coastal Plain Switchgrass Prairie

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This alliance includes a variety of relatively restricted moist to wet tallgrass patch prairie types which are found in the coastal plains of the southeastern United States. The most abundant species in stands of this alliance are Panicum anceps, Panicum virgatum, and/or Tripsacum dactyloides. Some other species that can occur include Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon glomeratus, Lythrum alatum, Sorghastrum nutans, and Symphyotrichum spp. Woody species, including Berchemia scandens, Celtis laevigata, Cercis canadensis, Cornus florida, Diospyros virginiana, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Juniperus virginiana, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus muehlenbergii, Smilax bona-nox, and Smilax rotundifolia, occur locally during periods of fire suppression. Examples of these relatively restricted communities are rare and/or have been greatly reduced through land-use change. This vegetation may be found in the Grand Prairie Subsection of Arkansas, parts of the Mississippi River Alluvial Basin Section, the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas, and related areas.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Examples of this alliance are found in the coastal plains of the southeastern United States and are typically dominated by Panicum anceps, Panicum virgatum, and/or Tripsacum dactyloides.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This is the moister (mesic) phase of native interior grasslands of the coastal plains.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This alliance is characterized by mesic to wet-mesic tall grasslands. The dominant lifeforms in stands of this alliance are tall grasses, although forbs can be abundant as well. Woody species are uncommon in well-managed examples, but trees and shrubs can occur as scattered individuals or clumps. Vegetation tends to be dense and between 1.5-2 m tall.

Floristics: The most abundant species in stands of this alliance are Panicum anceps, Panicum virgatum, and/or Tripsacum dactyloides. Some other species that can occur include Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon glomeratus, Carex cherokeensis, Lythrum alatum, Silphium integrifolium, Sorghastrum nutans, and Symphyotrichum lanceolatum. Woody species, including Berchemia scandens, Celtis laevigata, Cercis canadensis, Cornus florida, Diospyros virginiana, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Juniperus virginiana, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus muehlenbergii, Smilax bona-nox, and Smilax rotundifolia, occur locally during periods of fire suppression.

Dynamics:  Fires were a common occurrence in stands of this alliance before European settlement altered fire regimes. In the prolonged absence of fire, woody species, including Juniperus virginiana, can invade and become abundant. The mesic to wet-mesic characteristics of the environment mean that woody plant succession is accelerated and the grassland characteristics of the site can be lost after only a few years in the absence of fire, grazing, or other disturbance. Threats to these communities include fire suppression, livestock grazing, and damage by feral hogs and vehicles. The current range of this alliance has been reduced greatly from its historic extent.
Environmental Description:  These are mesic and wet-mesic grasslands and patch prairies. Stands of this alliance occur in swales or gentle slopes in gently rolling topography. Soil moisture and texture vary, but texture tends to be finer (clay loams or silty clays). Sites with heavier soils often have standing water present in the spring or after heavy rains.
Geographic Range: The vegetation of this alliance is primarily found in the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas and Louisiana, and areas of the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Plain of Arkansas and Kentucky and possibly Tennessee.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AR, KY, LA, TN?


Confidence Level: Low

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.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass S18 2.B
Formation 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation F012 2.B.2
Division 2.B.2.Nh Southeastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division D102 2.B.2.Nh
Macrogroup 2.B.2.Nh.2 Southeastern Coastal Plain Patch Prairie Macrogroup M309 2.B.2.Nh.2
Group 2.B.2.Nh.2.a Little Bluestem - Switchgrass - Bushy Bluestem Patch Prairie Group G175 2.B.2.Nh.2.a
Alliance A3317 Switchgrass - Beaked Panicgrass Coastal Plain Prairie Alliance A3317 2.B.2.Nh.2.a
Association CEGL004624 Switchgrass - Eastern Gamagrass Grand Prairie/Big Barrens Grassland CEGL004624 2.B.2.Nh.2.a
Association CEGL007911 Switchgrass - Big Bluestem Grand Prairie Grassland CEGL007911 2.B.2.Nh.2.a
Association CEGL007962 Winged Loosestrife - Beaked Panicgrass - White Panicle Aster Wet-Mesic Blackland Grassland CEGL007962 2.B.2.Nh.2.a
Association CEGL007963 Southern Red Oak - Pecan / Wholeleaf Rosinweed - Beaked Panicgrass - (Cherokee Sedge) Mesic Wooded Grassland CEGL007963 2.B.2.Nh.2.a
Concept Lineage: This alliance includes one or two associations from each of three old alliances; A.1191 (1/9); A.1194 (2/5); A.1198 (1/35).

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< ID4a. Bluestem Tallgrass Prairie (Allard 1990)
>< Mesic Prairie (Foti 1994b)
? T5A1aI1a. Tripsacum dactyloides (Foti et al. 1994)
? T5A1aI1b. Panicum virgatum (Foti et al. 1994)
? T5A1aI1c. Andropogon gerardii - Sorghastrum avenaceum (Foti et al. 1994)
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 Judy Teague.

Version Date: 03-14-14
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