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A4045 Andropogon gerardii - Sorghastrum nutans - Helianthus spp. Southern Grassland Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This alliance is dominated by grasses, including Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Stands have a moderate to high diversity of forbs. It is found in the unglaciated southeastern Great Plains, ranging from Kansas south to Texas.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Sunflower species Southern Grassland Alliance

Colloquial Name: Southern Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Sunflower Grassland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: Dominant grasses include Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Stands have a moderate to high diversity of forbs. Some common forbs include Symphyotrichum ericoides, Helianthus spp., and Solidago spp. This alliance is found in the unglaciated southeastern Great Plains, ranging from Kansas south to Texas. Examples occur on deep silt, loam, and clay soils which range from poorly drained to somewhat excessively drained. Fire plays a significant role in limiting woody vegetation. Without management, woody vegetation could become dense and shade out herbaceous prairie species.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Mesic tallgrass prairies within the unglaciated region of the southern midwestern United States. Stands are dominated by Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium and have moderate to a high density of forbs.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Soil depth, moisture, and texture are the main factors in separating the Andropogon gerardii communities into alliances among the northern, central and southern Great Plains groups. Many of these were originally all in similar alliances determined by species dominance. Further review may be needed to determine if these splits work adequately to describe the variation across the range of these tallgrass communities.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This is a mesic, tallgrass prairie alliance, dominated by a moderately dense to very dense layer of graminoids up to 2 m tall. Forbs are typically abundant in these vegetation types. Woody species are uncommon and contribute less than 10% cover.

Floristics: This alliance is dominated by a dense cover of tall grasses with a moderate to high diversity of forbs. Dominant grasses are Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Other grasses that can occur include Bouteloua curtipendula, Panicum virgatum, and Sporobolus compositus (= Sporobolus asper). Other herbaceous species include Baptisia spp., Dalea spp., Eryngium yuccifolium, Eupatorium spp., Euphorbia corollata, Stenaria nigricans (= Hedyotis nigricans), Helianthus spp., Liatris aspera, Mimosa nuttallii (= Mimosa quadrivalvis var. nuttallii), Psoralidium tenuiflorum, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Rudbeckia hirta, Ruellia humilis, Silphium laciniatum, Solidago spp., Sporobolus compositus (= Sporobolus asper), Symphyotrichum ericoides (= Aster ericoides), Tephrosia spp., Tridens flavus, Tripsacum dactyloides, and Verbesina alternifolia. Trees and shrubs may be present but contribute less than 10% of the cover.

Dynamics:  Overgrazing can change a tallgrass prairie site to a mixed grass and eventually a shortgrass site. Heavy summer grazing is especially hard on the warm-season tallgrass species. Introduced Poa spp. and weedy herbs often replace the tall grasses. Fire is important to maintain the grassland from invading woody vegetation and maintaining species diversity.
Environmental Description:  This alliance occurs on plains and lower slopes. Soils range from poorly to somewhat excessively drained, and typically fine-textured, usually silt, loam, and clay soils. The parent material can be loess, glacial till, calcareous clayey shale, limestone, cherty limestone, or interbedded limestone and clayey shale.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the unglaciated southern midwestern United States, extending from southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas to northern Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AR, KS, MO, OK


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.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division D023 2.B.2.Nb
Macrogroup 2.B.2.Nb.1 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Dense Blazingstar Tallgrass Prairie Macrogroup M054 2.B.2.Nb.1
Group 2.B.2.Nb.1.b Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Little Bluestem Tallgrass Prairie Group G334 2.B.2.Nb.1.b
Alliance A4045 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Sunflower species Southern Grassland Alliance A4045 2.B.2.Nb.1.b
Association CEGL002201 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Little Bluestem Flint Hills Grassland CEGL002201 2.B.2.Nb.1.b
Association CEGL002204 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass Unglaciated Grassland CEGL002204 2.B.2.Nb.1.b
Concept Lineage: This includes the southeastern Great Plains associations from A.1192.

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Andropogon gerardii herbaceous alliance (Hoagland 1998a)
? Big Bluestem (Hanson and Whitman 1938)
>< ID4a. Bluestem Tallgrass Prairie (Allard 1990)
>< Mesic Prairie (Foti 1994b)
? T5A1aI1c. Andropogon gerardii - Sorghastrum avenaceum (Foti et al. 1994)
Concept Author(s): J.E. Weaver and F.W. Albertson (1956)

Author of Description: S. Menard

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 12-18-14
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  • Diamond, D. D., and F. E. Smeins. 1988. Gradient analysis of remnant true and upper coastal prairie grasslands of North America. Canadian Journal of Botany 66:2152-2161.
  • 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.
  • Foti, T., M. Blaney, X. Li, and K. G. Smith. 1994. A classification system for the natural vegetation of Arkansas. Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science 48:50-53.
  • Foti, T., compiler. 1994b. Natural vegetation classification system of Arkansas, draft five. Unpublished document. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock. 8 pp.
  • Hanson, H. C., and W. Whitman. 1938. Characteristics of major grassland types in western North Dakota. Ecological Monographs 8:58-114.
  • Hoagland, B. W. 1998a. Classification of Oklahoma vegetation types. Working draft. University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, Norman. 43 pp.
  • Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
  • Küchler, A. W. 1964. Potential natural vegetation of the conterminous United States. American Geographic Society Special Publication 36. New York, NY. 116 pp.
  • Taylor, J. E., and T. L. Holst. 1976. Grass and shrub plant community classification. Unpublished Final Report prepared for the Ashland District, USDA Forest Service, under contract 26-3494.
  • Weaver, J. E., and F. W. Albertson. 1956. Grasslands of the Great Plains: Their nature and use. Johnsen Publishing Co., Lincoln, NE. 395 pp.