Print Report

A4076 Pinus palustris / Quercus laevis - Quercus geminata Woodland Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This alliance is confined to Florida and immediately adjacent Georgia and southern Alabama and is characterized by an open canopy of Pinus palustris and Quercus geminata in the subcanopy layer.


Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak - Sand Live Oak Woodland Alliance

Colloquial Name: Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak - Sand Live Oak Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This alliance is confined to Florida and immediately adjacent Georgia and southern Alabama and is characterized by an open canopy of Pinus palustris and Quercus geminata in the subcanopy layer. The nominal species Quercus geminata reflects the increase in evergreen oak and scrub species in Florida. Dominant trees are Pinus palustris, Quercus laevis, Quercus incana, Quercus hemisphaerica and Quercus margarettae. Characteristic and dominant shrubs include Licania michauxii, Rhus copallinum, Quercus minima, Asimina angustifolia, and Serenoa repens. Diagnostic herbaceous species include Ageratina aromatica, Andropogon gyrans, Andropogon virginicus, Aristida beyrichiana, Bulbostylis ciliatifolia, Crotalaria rotundifolia, Croton argyranthemus, Dichanthelium aciculare, Dichanthelium ovale, Aristolochia serpentaria, Eriogonum tomentosum, Hieracium gronovii, Houstonia procumbens, Lechea sessiliflora, Liatris tenuifolia, Palafoxia integrifolia, Pityopsis graminifolia, Scleria ciliata, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sericocarpus tortifolius, Solidago odora var. odora, Sorghastrum secundum, Sporobolus junceus, Stillingia sylvatica, Stylisma patens, and Tragia urens.

Diagnostic Characteristics: This alliance has a greater prevalence of Quercus geminata than more northern or western alliances. Species richness and endemism is also higher in this alliance than others in this group.

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, Quercus laevis, Quercus incana, Quercus hemisphaerica, and Quercus margarettae. Characteristic and dominant shrubs include Licania michauxii, Rhus copallinum, Quercus minima, Asimina angustifolia (= Asimina spatulata), and Serenoa repens. The nominal species Quercus geminata reflects the increase in evergreen oak and scrub species in Florida. Diagnostic herbaceous species include Ageratina aromatica, Andropogon gyrans (= Andropogon elliottii), Andropogon virginicus, Aristida beyrichiana, Bulbostylis ciliatifolia, Crotalaria rotundifolia, Croton argyranthemus, Dichanthelium aciculare, Dichanthelium ovale, Aristolochia serpentaria (= Endodeca serpentaria), Eriogonum tomentosum, Hieracium gronovii, Houstonia procumbens, Lechea sessiliflora, Liatris tenuifolia, Palafoxia integrifolia, Pityopsis graminifolia, Scleria ciliata, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sericocarpus tortifolius, Solidago odora var. odora, Sorghastrum secundum, Sporobolus junceus, Stillingia sylvatica, Stylisma patens, and Tragia urens.

Dynamics:  No Data Available

Environmental Description:  The soils in these habitats are very well-drained or 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 with generally higher levels of base cations than other xeric alliances.

Geographic Range: This alliance occurs on the Southeastern Coastal Plain in Florida and immediately adjacent southern Georgia and southern Alabama.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AL, FL, GA




Confidence Level: Low

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 A4076 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak - Sand Live Oak Woodland Alliance A4076 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003583 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Gopher-apple / Pineland Silk-grass Woodland CEGL003583 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL003604 Longleaf Pine - Sand Pine / Turkey Oak / Sandhill Dropseed Woodland CEGL003604 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL004490 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Beyrich''s Three-awn - Dense-spike Blackroot Woodland CEGL004490 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL007132 Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Beyrich''s Three-awn - Scurf Hoary-pea Woodland CEGL007132 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL007133 Longleaf Pine / Sand Live Oak / False Rosemary / Beyrich''s Three-awn Woodland CEGL007133 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL007135 Longleaf Pine / Sand Post Oak / Beyrich''s Three-awn - Dollarleaf Woodland CEGL007135 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL007137 Longleaf Pine / Southern Red Oak / Red-cardinal / Piedmont Three-awn Woodland CEGL007137 1.B.1.Na.1.c
Association CEGL007141 Longleaf Pine / Dwarf Live Oak / Beyrich''s Three-awn - Vanilla-leaf Woodland CEGL007141 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: < High Pine (Myers 1990a)
? IB6b. Southeastern Coastal Plain Xeric Sandhill (Allard 1990)
< Longleaf Pine-Scrub Oak: 71 (Eyre 1980)
= Sandhill (FNAI 2010a)
= Sandhills (Edwards et al. 2013)

Concept Author(s): R. Peet, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2013)

Author of Description: C.W. Nordman

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 08-15-17

  • 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.
  • Edwards, L., J. Ambrose, and K. Kirkman. 2013. The natural communities of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA. 675 pp.
  • Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
  • FNAI [Florida Natural Areas Inventory]. 2010a. Guide to the natural communities of Florida: 2010 edition. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FL. 228 pp. [https://fnai.org/naturalcommguide.cfm]
  • 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.
  • Myers, R. L. 1990a. Scrub and high pine. Pages 150-193 in: R. L. Myers and J. L. Ewel, editors. Ecosystems of Florida. University of Central Florida Press, Orlando.
  • 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]