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A3630 Quercus michauxii - Carya laciniosa - Liquidambar styraciflua Interior Floodplain Forest Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This bottomland hardwood forest vegetation is found in the central and south-central United States. Stands are typically dominated by Carya laciniosa, Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus michauxii, and Quercus shumardii.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Swamp Chestnut Oak - Shellbark Hickory - Sweetgum Interior Floodplain Forest Alliance
Colloquial Name: Central Interior Swamp Chestnut Oak Floodplain Forest
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: The vegetation of this bottomland hardwood forest alliance is found in the central and south-central United States along borders and first bottoms of rivers, streams, and swamps. Its range includes the Mississippi River, Ohio River, Tennessee River and their tributaries, as well as rivers and streams in the southern Piedmont and the Ozarks and possibly in the Ouachita Mountains. Stands are typically dominated by Carya laciniosa, Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus michauxii, and Quercus shumardii. Other hickories which can be present include Carya tomentosa and Carya ovata. Canopy closure is at or near 100%. The subcanopy is dense and dominated by Carpinus caroliniana and Ulmus alata. Dominant shrubs include Cornus foemina, Ilex decidua, and Viburnum dentatum. The herbaceous layer is dense and dominated by Carex spp. and a diverse and varied assemblage of grasses and forbs, including Arundinaria gigantea which may form dense stands, particularly where canopy openings allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. Vines are prevalent in the subcanopy and understory of this community; the most commonly encountered vines are Campsis radicans, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, and Toxicodendron radicans. Soils which support this association are deep, moist, rich, loamy, typically somewhat acidic to circumneutral, and well-drained. Short periods of inundation in the fall and winter can occur.
Diagnostic Characteristics: In contrast to the related ~Quercus michauxii - Quercus pagoda Coastal Plain Floodplain Forest Alliance (A3631)$$, the associations of this alliance are likely to contain species whose ranges are more related to the interior ecoregions, including Tilia americana var. heterophylla and Carya laciniosa.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: There are certainly some floristic similarities between ~Quercus michauxii - Quercus pagoda Coastal Plain Floodplain Forest Alliance (A3631)$$ and ~Quercus michauxii - Carya laciniosa - Liquidambar styraciflua Interior Floodplain Forest Alliance (A3630)$$, but it is thought that the biogeography of the two alliances is sufficient to justify the two alliances. Of Quercus michauxii, Quercus pagoda, and Quercus shumardii, Quercus pagoda is the most restricted in range. Quercus michauxii will be absent from much of the Ozarks, Ouachitas, and Interior Low Plateau (except along the larger unimpounded rivers). Quercus shumardii is apparently absent from much of the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain. Type concept summary is largely based on material from ~Quercus michauxii - Quercus shumardii - Liquidambar styraciflua / Arundinaria gigantea Swamp Forest (CEGL002099)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Canopy diversity can be high in this vegetation. Canopy closure is at or near 100%, and the subcanopy is dense. The trees may be large and tall in older stands.
Floristics: In addition to Carya laciniosa, Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus michauxii, Quercus pagoda, and Quercus shumardii, other trees that may be present include Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Carya cordiformis, Carya glabra, Carya ovata, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Nyssa biflora. In the southern part of the alliance''s distribution, Quercus laurifolia, Quercus nigra, Quercus phellos, Quercus similis, and Quercus sinuata var. sinuata may be found. Associated subcanopy and shrub species vary geographically, but may include Aesculus sylvatica, Asimina triloba, Carpinus caroliniana, Cornus florida, Cornus foemina, Ilex decidua, Ilex opaca var. opaca, Halesia diptera, Styrax americanus, Ulmus alata, and Viburnum dentatum. Vines are prevalent in the subcanopy and ground layer; the most commonly encountered are Campsis radicans, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, and Toxicodendron radicans. The herbaceous layer is dense and dominated by Carex spp. and a diverse assemblage of grasses and forbs, including Arundinaria gigantea, which often forms dense, almost impenetrable stands particularly where canopy openings allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. Other herbaceous species that may be present include Chasmanthium laxum and Chasmanthium sessiliflorum.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Soils which support this alliance include nearly level to gently sloping soils that formed in alluvium on floodplains. These soils are deep, medium-textured, and have adequate or excessive moisture available for vegetation during the growing season. Soils can be sandy on terraces and first bottoms. This alliance is subject to infrequent, short-duration, shallow flooding (<1.5 m), and ponding is common where there are impermeable clay layers beneath the surface. Bedrock is deeply buried (>175 cm) and consists of Paleozoic deposits and stratified Cenozoic marine deposits. Shale or sandstone bedrock can occur at about 170 cm.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the southern Piedmont from Virginia to Georgia, the Interior Low Plateau and Cumberlands/southern Ridge and Valley of Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, as well as the Ozarks and possibly the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, Missouri, and possibly Oklahoma. Southern Coastal Plain states that were added to CEGL002099 (primarily a midwestern type), such as Louisiana and Mississippi, may need to be removed from the range of this alliance (and the range of CEGL002099 similarly adjusted).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK?, SC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899688
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
Concept Lineage: All members are from the old A.291 (4/16); this is the Piedmont and interior part of this alliance.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Liquidambar styraciflua - Liriodendron tulipifera (Jackson 1979)
? Quercus - Carya/Hymenocallis community (Voigt and Mohlenbrock 1964)
? Quercus shumardii - Carya laciniosa forests (Jackson 1979)
>< IIA6b. Sweetgum - Mixed Bottomland Oak Forest (Allard 1990)
>< IIA8a. Forested Canebrake (Allard 1990)
? IIA8b. Swamp Chestnut Oak - Cherrybark Oak Bottomland Forest (Allard 1990)
>< Swamp Chestnut Oak - Cherrybark Oak: 91 (Eyre 1980)
? Quercus - Carya/Hymenocallis community (Voigt and Mohlenbrock 1964)
? Quercus shumardii - Carya laciniosa forests (Jackson 1979)
>< IIA6b. Sweetgum - Mixed Bottomland Oak Forest (Allard 1990)
>< IIA8a. Forested Canebrake (Allard 1990)
? IIA8b. Swamp Chestnut Oak - Cherrybark Oak Bottomland Forest (Allard 1990)
>< Swamp Chestnut Oak - Cherrybark Oak: 91 (Eyre 1980)
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