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A4074 Pinus palustris / Quercus laevis / Aristida stricta Woodland Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This dry alliance occurs primarily in the region where Aristida stricta is a common ground-layer dominant (Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina), though in the extreme north and extreme southeast it extends beyond the range of Aristida stricta. Dominant trees are Pinus palustris and Quercus laevis.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Pineland Three-awn Woodland Alliance

Colloquial Name: Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Pineland Three-awn Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This dry alliance occurs primarily in the region where Aristida stricta is a common ground-layer dominant (Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina), though in the extreme north and extreme southeast it extends beyond the range of Aristida stricta. Dominant trees are Pinus palustris and Quercus laevis. Shrubs include Gaylussacia dumosa, Gaylussacia frondosa, Morella cerifera, and Vaccinium tenellum. Herbs include Aristida stricta, Carphephorus bellidifolius, Cnidoscolus urens var. stimulosus, Euphorbia ipecacuanhae, and Pityopsis graminifolia.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Dominant trees are Pinus palustris and Quercus laevis. This alliance occurs primarily in the region where Aristida stricta is a common dominant graminoid, in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina.

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: No Data Available

Floristics: Dominant trees are Pinus palustris and Quercus laevis. Shrubs include Gaylussacia dumosa, Gaylussacia frondosa, Morella cerifera, and Vaccinium tenellum. Herbs include Aristida stricta, Carphephorus bellidifolius, Cnidoscolus urens var. stimulosus (= Cnidoscolus stimulosus), Euphorbia ipecacuanhae, and Pityopsis graminifolia.

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  The soils in these habitats are well-drained to excessively drained, and have low levels of nutrients. These soils span from xeric to subxeric with high silt content. Generally they are deep coarse sands, such as Candor (Sandy, kaolinitic, thermic Grossarenic Kandiudults), Lakeland (Thermic, coated Typic Quartzipsamments) and Wakulla (Siliceous, thermic Psammentic Hapludults). These are nutrient-poor, acidic deep sands, which are somewhat excessively drained to excessively drained. They have slow runoff. These sands are nearly all eolian or marine in origin, but some examples of the Candor Series are fluvial in origin. In the North Carolina Sandhills area, they occur on gentle ridges and summits in broad upland areas. Also they occur on dry upper slopes (Nordman 2012).
Geographic Range: This alliance occurs on the Atlantic Coastal Plain in southeastern Virginia, eastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  NC, SC, VA


Confidence Level: Moderate

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR

Greasons: No Data Available
Type Name Database Code Classification Code
Class 1 Forest & Woodland Class C01 1
Subclass 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass S15 1.B
Formation 1.B.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation F018 1.B.1
Division 1.B.1.Na Southeastern North American Forest & Woodland Division D006 1.B.1.Na
Macrogroup 1.B.1.Na.1 Longleaf Pine / Pineland Three-awn Woodland Macrogroup M007 1.B.1.Na.1
Group 1.B.1.Na.1.c Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak Xeric Woodland Group G154 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Alliance A4074 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Pineland Three-awn Woodland Alliance A4074 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003577 Longleaf Pine / Sand Live Oak - Darlington Oak / Devilwood Woodland CEGL003577 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003584 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Pineland Scaly-pink - Spiny Spikemoss Woodland CEGL003584 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003586 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Pineland Three-awn - Gray-hairy Wild Indigo Woodland CEGL003586 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003589 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak - Sand Live Oak / Pineland Three-awn Woodland CEGL003589 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003590 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak - Sand Live Oak / Sandy-field Beaksedge Woodland CEGL003590 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003591 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak - Bluejack Oak / Dwarf Huckleberry / Pineland Three-awn Woodland CEGL003591 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003592 Longleaf Pine - Loblolly Pine / Turkey Oak / Blue Huckleberry - Black Huckleberry Woodland CEGL003592 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL007125 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak - Sand Live Oak / Little Bluestem Woodland CEGL007125 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL007126 Longleaf Pine - Pond Pine / Turkey Oak / Blue Huckleberry / Little Bluestem Woodland CEGL007126 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? IB6b. Southeastern Coastal Plain Xeric Sandhill (Allard 1990)
< Longleaf Pine-Scrub Oak: 71 (Eyre 1980)
Concept Author(s): R. Peet, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2013)

Author of Description: C.W. Nordman

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 12-18-14
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.
  • Nordman, C. 2012. Ecological site description - MLRA 137 - Carolina and Georgia sand hills. Pine / scrub oak sandhill. NatureServe in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
  • Palmquist, K. A., R. K. Peet, and S. C. Carr. 2016. Xeric longleaf pine vegetation of the Atlantic and East Gulf Coast Coastal Plain: An evaluation and revision of associations within the U.S. National Vegetation Classification. Proceedings of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification. [in press]
  • Schafale, M. P. 1994. Inventory of longleaf pine natural communities. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 230 pp.
  • Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.