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A3889 Andropogon gerardii - Panicum virgatum - Sporobolus clandestinus Southeastern Patch Prairie Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: These are mesic and wet-mesic grasslands and patch prairies found primarily in the Interior Low Plateau, dominated or codominated by Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon glomeratus, Calamagrostis coarctata, Dichanthelium scoparium, Panicum anceps, Panicum virgatum, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Rhynchospora glomerata, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, and Sporobolus clandestinus.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - Switchgrass - Rough Dropseed Southeastern Patch Prairie Alliance
Colloquial Name: Southeastern Mesic Patch Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance includes mesic and wet-mesic grasslands and patch prairies found primarily in the Interior Low Plateau, ranging into the Central Appalachians, Cumberlands/Southern Ridge and Valley, and peripherally in the adjacent Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain. Stands are typically dominated by a diverse mixture of native forbs, graminoids, and medium to tall warm-season grasses, particularly members of the Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae. Woody species are absent to rare in well-managed examples but can be present in some examples. Some of the plants that may be found in or codominate stands of this alliance include Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon glomeratus, Calamagrostis coarctata, Dichanthelium scoparium, Panicum anceps, Panicum virgatum, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Rhynchospora glomerata, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, and Sporobolus clandestinus. Stands of this alliance occur in swales or gentle slopes in gently rolling topography. Soil moisture and texture vary, but textures tend to be finer (clay loams or silty clays). Sites with heavier soils often have standing water present in the spring or after heavy rains.
Diagnostic Characteristics: These are mesic to wet-mesic tall grasslands and patch prairies of the mid-south, most of which are rare and in need of restoration, typically with grasses such as Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon glomeratus, Panicum virgatum, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, and Sporobolus clandestinus.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This is the moister (mesic) phase of native interior grasslands of the mid-south. In the Daniel Boone National Forest (and many other areas in the eastern North America), this alliance is apparently represented on powerline rights-of-way and other mowed or maintained areas; resolution is needed as to how to deal with natural prairies vs. powerline vegetation common eastward. In Kentucky, associations are known from the Big Barrens, the eastern Knobs, and from the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain.
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: Stands are typically dominated by native forbs, graminoids, and warm-season grasses, particularly members of the Poaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae. Some of the plants that may be found in or codominate stands of this alliance include Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon glomeratus, Calamagrostis coarctata, Dichanthelium scoparium, Panicum anceps, Panicum virgatum, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Rhynchospora glomerata, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, and Sporobolus clandestinus.
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 usually invade and can 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.
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 textures tend 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: This alliance is found from the Central Appalachians and Cumberlands/Southern Ridge and Valley west to the Interior Low Plateau of the interior southeastern United States, from Virginia and Kentucky south to Tennessee. It is peripherally found in the adjacent Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain of Mississippi.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, GA, KY, MS, TN, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899940
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
Concept Lineage: This alliance contains the members of A.1191 (2/11) and A.1192 (4/16) from the upper south, as well as one association from A.1225 (1/21).
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Big Bluestem (Hanson and Whitman 1938)
>< ID4a. Bluestem Tallgrass Prairie (Allard 1990)
>< ID4a. Bluestem Tallgrass Prairie (Allard 1990)
- Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.
- DeSelm, H. R. 1990. Flora and vegetation of some barrens of the eastern Highland Rim of Tennessee. Castanea 55:187-206.
- Evans, M., B. Yahn, and M. Hines. 2009. Natural communities of Kentucky 2009. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfort, KY. 22 pp.
- 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.
- Hanson, H. C., and W. Whitman. 1938. Characteristics of major grassland types in western North Dakota. Ecological Monographs 8:58-114.
- Heineke, T. E. 1987. The flora and plant communities of the middle Mississippi River Valley. Ph.D. dissertation, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 653 pp.
- Küchler, A. W. 1964. Potential natural vegetation of the conterminous United States. American Geographic Society Special Publication 36. New York, NY. 116 pp.