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A3690 Quercus virginiana - Ilex vomitoria - Morella cerifera Shrubland Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: These are upland maritime dune shrublands or "coastal scrubs" dominated by Quercus virginiana and also typically with Ilex vomitoria and Morella cerifera, that occur in a narrow strip near the coast on acidic sands from Virginia south to Florida and west to Mississippi and possibly Louisiana.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Live Oak - Yaupon - Wax-myrtle Shrubland Alliance

Colloquial Name: Live Oak Dune Shrubland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: These upland maritime dune shrublands or "coastal scrubs" of the Southeastern Coastal Plain have Quercus virginiana as dominant or codominant, as well as Ilex vomitoria, Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola, Morella cerifera, Persea borbonia, Prunus caroliniana, Quercus geminata (in range), Serenoa repens (in range), Smilax auriculata, Smilax bona-nox, and Zanthoxylum clava-herculis. In Florida and adjacent southern Georgia, there are coastal strand shrublands dominated or codominated by Serenoa repens with Ilex vomitoria and lacking more southern (subtropical) floristic elements. Examples are characteristically 0.5-3 m tall, typically with a single, extremely dense stratum. They occupy linear strands on frontal dune ridges and on the leeward sides and tops of rear dunes, where protected from saltwater flooding and extreme salt spray. They also occur on low dunes and rises on the back sides of barrier islands, as upland rises associated with Juncus roemerianus marshes. Examples are found from Virginia south to Florida and west to Mississippi and possibly Louisiana.

Diagnostic Characteristics: These are upland maritime dune shrublands of the Southeastern Coastal Plain (southern, mid-Atlantic, and Gulf coasts) with Quercus virginiana dominant or codominant.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This alliance apparently occurs on Cat Island, Mississippi, as scrub thickets with Ilex vomitoria dominant and an admixture of Quercus virginiana and/or Quercus geminata. Occurrences of this (or a closely related alliance) in Louisiana may be better classified as a dwarf forest (Quercus virginiana / Ilex vomitoria). In Florida, this alliance is best developed on the Atlantic Coast.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Vegetation of this alliance is characteristically 0.5-3 m tall, typically with a single, extremely dense stratum.

Floristics: Examples of these upland maritime dune shrublands or "coastal scrubs" have Quercus virginiana as dominant or codominant, as well as Ilex vomitoria, Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola, Morella cerifera (= Myrica cerifera), Persea borbonia, Prunus caroliniana, Quercus geminata (in range), Serenoa repens (in range), Smilax auriculata, Smilax bona-nox, and Zanthoxylum clava-herculis. Examples of this vegetation in Mississippi contain Baccharis halimifolia. Coastal strands of Florida and adjacent southern Georgia are dominated by Ilex vomitoria and Serenoa repens, with occasional dwarfed individuals of Sabal palmetto and Sideroxylon tenax (Johnson and Muller 1993a). Other species include Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola, Magnolia grandiflora (dwarfed), Persea borbonia, Quercus virginiana, Smilax auriculata, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, and the herbs Erythrina herbacea and Monarda punctata.

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  This alliance occupies linear strands on frontal dune ridges and on the leeward sides and tops of rear dunes, where it is protected from saltwater flooding and extreme salt spray. It also occurs on low dunes and rises on the back sides of barrier islands.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the Southeastern Coastal Plain (southern, mid-Atlantic, and Gulf coasts) from Virginia south to Florida and west to Mississippi and possibly Louisiana.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AL, FL, GA, LA?, MS, NC, SC, TX, VA


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.4 Temperate to Polar Scrub & Herb Coastal Vegetation Formation F005 2.B.4
Division 2.B.4.Na Eastern North American Coastal Scrub & Herb Vegetation Division D026 2.B.4.Na
Macrogroup 2.B.4.Na.2 American Beachgrass - Sea-oats - Seaside Goldenrod Dune & Grassland Macrogroup M057 2.B.4.Na.2
Group 2.B.4.Na.2.a Wax-myrtle - Sea-oats - Shore Little Bluestem Dune & Grassland Group G494 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Alliance A3690 Live Oak - Yaupon - Wax-myrtle Shrubland Alliance A3690 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Association CEGL003812 Saw Palmetto - Cabbage Palmetto - Yaupon - Tough Bully Scrub CEGL003812 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Association CEGL003813 Yaupon - (Sand Live Oak, Live Oak) - Wax-myrtle - Saw Palmetto Shrubland CEGL003813 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Association CEGL003833 Live Oak - (Yaupon) Shrubland CEGL003833 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Association CEGL004241 Live Oak - Saw Palmetto - (Yaupon) Shrubland CEGL004241 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Association CEGL004784 Wax-myrtle - Carolina Laurel Cherry - Hercules''-club Shrubland CEGL004784 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Association CEGL007223 Wax-myrtle / Gulfdune Crowngrass - Bushy Bluestem - Shore Little Bluestem Shrub Grassland CEGL007223 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Concept Lineage: This new alliance contains four associations from A.785 (4/4) and one from A.750 (1/2).

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
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.

Version Date: 09-26-14
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