Print Report
A3911 Quercus ilicifolia Sand Barrens Scrub Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance of the eastern United States comprises shrub thickets dominated by Quercus ilicifolia occurring on dry, nutrient-poor, sandy soils, and usually within a Pinus rigida barrens matrix.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bear Oak Sand Barrens Scrub Alliance
Colloquial Name: Scrub Oak Sand Barrens
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance comprises shrub thickets dominated by Quercus ilicifolia occurring on dry, nutrient-poor, sandy soils, and usually within a Pinus rigida barrens matrix. Quercus prinoides may be a codominant in some occurrences, and Pinus rigida can form a scattered tree layer. Heath shrubs are common and may include Vaccinium angustifolium, Gaylussacia baccata, Vaccinium pallidum, and Kalmia latifolia. Vines are common, especially Smilax rotundifolia and Smilax glauca, and can form locally dense thickets. Low shrub and herbaceous cover is inversely proportional to shrub cover, with greater herb cover occurring where shrub cover is less. Herbaceous species commonly include Carex pensylvanica, Carex swanii, Deschampsia flexuosa, Piptochaetium avenaceum, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Lichens can be locally common, especially Cladonia species. This vegetation occurs on sandy, drought-prone soils of sandplains in low "frost pocket" depressions on the landscape or where there are frequent fire-return intervals (<5 years).
Diagnostic Characteristics: Shrub thicket dominated by Quercus ilicifolia occurring on dry sandy soils.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This vegetation typically occurs as a dense thicket of even height.
Floristics: This alliance comprises shrub thickets dominated by Quercus ilicifolia, usually occurring within a Pinus rigida barrens matrix. Quercus prinoides may be a codominant in some occurrences, and Pinus rigida can form a scattered tree layer. Heath shrubs are common and may include Vaccinium angustifolium, Gaylussacia baccata, Vaccinium pallidum, and Kalmia latifolia. Vines are common, especially Smilax rotundifolia and Smilax glauca, and can form locally dense thickets. Low shrub and herbaceous cover is inversely proportional to shrub cover, with greater herb cover occurring where shrub cover is less. Herbaceous species commonly include Carex pensylvanica, Carex swanii, Deschampsia flexuosa, Piptochaetium avenaceum (= Stipa avenacea), Pteridium aquilinum, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Lichens can be locally common, especially Cladonia species.
Dynamics: Shrub thickets dominated by Quercus ilicifolia experience late spring frosts and shorter frost-free growing seasons than do adjacent forests and woodlands with well-developed tree canopies. Motzkin et al. (2002) suggest that greater frost exposure on these xeric sites limits shrub canopy height and may contribute to slow establishment of trees. This vegetation may have become more common as a result of cutting and burning.
Environmental Description: This vegetation occurs on sandy, drought-prone soils of sandplains in low "frost pocket" depressions on the landscape or where there are frequent fire-return intervals (<5 years).
Geographic Range: This alliance ranges from southern Maine to New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899962
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.e Bear Oak - Sheep Laurel - Kinnikinnick Sand Barrens Group | G063 | 2.B.4.Na.2.e |
| Alliance | A3911 Bear Oak Sand Barrens Scrub Alliance | A3911 | 2.B.4.Na.2.e |
| Association | CEGL006111 Bear Oak - Dwarf Chinkapin Oak Scrub | CEGL006111 | 2.B.4.Na.2.e |
Concept Lineage: no protoalliance; split from old alliance A.906
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Quercetum ilicifoliae (Conard 1935)
? Bear Oak: 43 (Eyre 1980)
>< Northern Appalachian Sand Barren (Smith 1991)
? Scrub oak stand (Motzkin et al. 2002)
? Bear Oak: 43 (Eyre 1980)
>< Northern Appalachian Sand Barren (Smith 1991)
? Scrub oak stand (Motzkin et al. 2002)
- Conard, H. S. 1935. The plant associations of central Long Island. The American Midland Naturalist 16:433-516.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 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.
- Fike, J. 1999. Terrestrial and palustrine plant communities of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Recreation, Bureau of Forestry, Harrisburg, PA. 86 pp.
- Lundgren, J., B. Hammond, J. Stone, and L. Sneddon. 2000. Vegetation classification and mapping of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Final Draft. The Nature Conservancy, March 2000. 59 pp.
- Motzkin, G., S. C. Ciccarello, and D. R. Foster. 2002. Frost pockets on a level sand plain: Does variation in microclimate help maintain persistent vegetation patterns? Journal of the Torrey Botanical Club 129:154-163.
- Smith, T. L. 1991. Natural ecological communities of Pennsylvania. First revision. Unpublished report. Pennsylvania Science Office of The Nature Conservancy, Middletown, PA. 111 pp.
- Swain, P. C., and J. B. Kearsley. 2011. Classification of the natural communities of Massachusetts. Version 1.4. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA. [http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/natural-heritage/natural-communities/classification-of-natural-communities.html]