Quercus marilandica / Vaccinium arboreum / Danthonia spicata Scrub Woodland (DFL) (CEGL002425 MCS 460-60)

Blackjack Oak / Farkleberry / Northern Oatgrass Scrub Woodland

[Blackjack Oak Xeric Scrub]
Quercus stellata - Quercus marilandica - Quercus velutina - Carya texana / Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland

(DF-L/DJA) (CEGL002149 MCS 480-10)

Post Oak - Blackjack Oak - Black Oak - Black Hickory / Little Bluestem Woodland

[Post Oak-Blackjack Oak / Little Bluestem Woodland]
Quercus stellata - Quercus marilandica var. ashei Interior Highlands Scrub Woodland (SCS/MCS 2-94, mod. KP 3-97,

mod. 12-98) (CEGL003884 SCS 460-60)

Post Oak - Ashe's Blackjack Oak Interior Highlands Scrub Woodland

[Post Oak Interior Highlands Scrub Woodland]
Quercus stellata - Ulmus alata - Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana / Sporobolus clandestinus - Monarda

stipitatoglandulosa Woodland (JC/ASW/KP 12-95) (CEGL003756 SCS 410-10)

Post Oak - Winged Elm - Eastern Red-cedar / Secret Dropseed - Ouachita Bergamot Woodland

Chinese Privet Shrubland Alliance

CONCEPT: This alliance consists of upland areas, mostly moist, dominated by the exotic Ligustrum sinense, with little or no

canopy. Density of the shrub layer may be such that there is no development of the herbaceous stratum. Ligustrum sinense is a serious weedy species in the southeastern United States; generally it occurs as a shrub-layer dominant under tree canopies, especially in floodplains; such sites are considered degraded occurrences of the equivalent natural forest community.

SIMILAR ALLIANCES: See III.A.2.N.g.2 Ligustrum sinense Temporarily Flooded Shrubland Alliance (A.796) for wetland privet

COMMENTS:

RANGE: This alliance is found in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,

Tennessee (?), Virginia, and probably others.

TNC ECOREGIONS: 39:C, 41:C, 52:C

FEDERAL LANDS:

SYNONYMY: No equivalent (Allard 1990, Ambrose 1990, Schafale and Weakley 1990, Nelson 1986).

REFERENCES:

Chinese Privet Upland Shrubland

(Cockspur Haw, Parsleyleaf Haw) Shrubland Alliance

CONCEPT: This alliance includes shrublands dominated by Crataegus spp. This alliance is primarily or exclusively on

relatively calcareous soils. Associated species in eastern Oklahoma include Ilex decidua and Crataegus viridis. This alliance contains an association defined for east-central and eastern Oklahoma, but is thought to also occur in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. More information is needed to more fully describe this alliance.

SIMILAR ALLIANCES:

COMMENTS: Need to determine if AR and OK types are the same. Occurrences in Alabama and Mississippi reported by Mohr

(1901) for the Black Belt may be historical only.

RANGE: This alliance is found in Alabama (?), Arkansas (?), Mississippi (?), and Oklahoma.

TNC ECOREGIONS: 37:C, 40:?, 43:C, 44:?

FEDERAL LANDS:

SYNONYMY: Crataegus crus-galli - Ilex decidua - Crataegus viridis shrubland association (Hoagland 1996); T4B3aII2b.

Crataegus spp. (marshallii, crus-galli) (Foti et al. 1994).

REFERENCES: Foti et al. 1994, Hoagland 1996, Mohr 1901

Cockspur Haw - Possum Haw - Green Haw Shrubland

[Haw-Haw-Haw Shrubland :-)]


AR-GAP T.5.A.1.a.I

Tripsacum dactyloides - Panicum virgatum - Andropogon spp.

tall mesic prairie
V.A.5.N.a.1 ANDROPOGON GERARDII - (CALAMAGROSTIS CANADENSIS, PANICUM VIRGATUM) HERBACEOUS ALLIANCE

( ) (A.1191 MCS )

Big Bluestem - (Canada Bluejoint, Switchgrass) Herbaceous Alliance

CONCEPT: This alliance, found in central North America, is made up of mesic to wet-mesic tall grasslands. The dominant

lifeforms in stands of this alliance are tallgrasses, although forbs can be abundant as well. Trees and shrubs can occur as

scattered individuals or clumps. Vegetation tends to be dense and between 1.5 and 2 meters tall. The dominant species across

the range of this alliance is Andropogon gerardii. Other species that are common to abundant throughout the alliance's range

are Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex spp., Panicum virgatum, Sorghastrum nutans, and Spartina pectinata. Muhlenbergia

richardsonis may be diagnostic of this alliance in the northeastern Great Plains (Diamond and Smeins 1988), and Pascopyrum

smithii is common in the western portion of this alliance's range. Elymus canadensis is abundant in Wisconsin (Curtis 1959). Schizachyrium scoparium can be found on sites subject to seasonal drought (Steinauer 1989, Comer 1995). Forbs are

abundant, especially farther east in this alliance's range. Among these forbs are Aster spp., Helianthus grosseserratus,

silty clays. The sites are typically level to gently sloping, and those with heavier soils often have standing water present in the

spring or after heavy rains. Most stands are in the glaciated Midwest and occur on glacial till, outwash, or drift, or on glacial

lakeplains. Fires were a common occurrence in stands of this alliance before effective fire suppression activities. In the

prolonged absence of fire, woody species usually invade and can become abundant (Curtis 1959, Steinauer 1989).

SIMILAR ALLIANCES: Communities in this alliance are similar to the V.A.5.N.a.2 Andropogon gerardii - (Sorghastrum nutans)

Herbaceous Alliance (A.1192) and the V.A.5.N.j.11 Spartina pectinata Temporarily Flooded Herbaceous Alliance (A.1347).

COMMENTS: The grassland type in Arkansas has Panicum virgatum with Andropogon gerardii (lacking Calamagrostis) (T. Foti pers. comm.). The various tallgrass and midgrass "prairie" alliances (alliances in V.A.5.N.a. and V.A.5.N.c. with

review, clarification of concepts and distinctions, and reworking. Possibly in Kentucky as remnants.

RANGE: This alliance is found in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska,

South Dakota, North Dakota, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, and in Canada in southern Ontario, southern

Manitoba, and southern Saskatchewan.

TNC ECOREGIONS: 26:C, 32:P, 33:C, 34:C, 35:C, 36:C, 37:C, 38:C, 39:C, 40:P, 42:C, 43:C, 44:C, 45:C, 46:C, 48:C, 50:P

FEDERAL LANDS: DOD (Fort Chaffee)

SYNONYMY: ID4a. Bluestem Tallgrass Prairie, in part (Allard 1990, Pyne 1994); Mesic Prairie, in part (Foti 1994); Tallgrass

Prairie, in part (Foti 1994); Wet Prairie, in part (Evans 1991); Andropogon gerardii herbaceous series, in part (Hoagland 1997);

T5A1aI1b. Panicum virgatum (Foti et al. 1994); Wet-mesic Prairie (Curtis 1959). This alliance is very widespread. It has not

been described by other authors in a rangewide fashion but has been discussed in parts of its range. Faber-Langendoen and

Maycock (1987) and Comer et al. (1995) located extant examples of this alliance on lakeplains in lower Michigan. Tolstead

(1942), in his Mesophytic Tall-grass Zone, discussed the alliance in north-central Nebraska. In Wisconsin, this alliance is

essentially the same as the Wet-mesic Prairie defined by Curtis (1959).

REFERENCES: Allard 1990, Comer et al. 1995, Curtis 1959, DeSelm 1990, Diamond and Smeins 1988, Evans 1991,

Faber-Langendoen and Maycock 1987, Faber-Langendoen et al. 1996, Foti et al. 1994, Heineke 1987, Hoagland 1997, Minnesota Natural Heritage Program 1993, Smith 1981, Steinauer 1989, Tolstead 1942, Weaver 1958

Big Bluestem - Switchgrass - Sawtooth Sunflower Herbaceous Vegetation

[Central Wet-mesic Tallgrass Prairie]
V.A.5.N.a.2 ANDROPOGON GERARDII - (SORGHASTRUM NUTANS) HERBACEOUS ALLIANCE (MCS, MOD. K. SCHULZ

98-08-24) (A.1192 MCS )

Big Bluestem - (Yellow Indiangrass) Herbaceous Alliance

Big Bluestem - Yellow Indiangrass Unglaciated Herbaceous Vegetation

[Unglaciated Mesic Tallgrass Prairie]
V.A.5.N.a.4 PANICUM VIRGATUM - TRIPSACUM DACTYLOIDES HERBACEOUS ALLIANCE (DJA 94, MOD. KP 97-03) (A.1194

SCS MP)

Switchgrass - Eastern Gammagrass Herbaceous Alliance

CONCEPT: Wet-mesic grasslands of the southeastern United States dominated by Panicum virgatum and/or Tripsacum

dactyloides. The nominal species may occur with Andropogon gerardii, Carex microdonta, Fimbristylis puberula, Paspalum

floridanum, Sorghastrum nutans, and Sporobolus asper. Important forbs may include Acacia angustissima var. hirta, Aster

ericoides, Bifora americana, Hedyotis nigricans, Helianthus maximiliani, Ratibida columnaris, Rudbeckia hirta, and Ruellia

humilis. There are wetter and drier variants; the former occurs on poorly drained or sub-irrigated soils (Vertisols) and flat

topography on the northeastern Blackland, Fayette, and Upper Coastal Prairies of eastern Texas, and may manifest as patches

of sparse vegetation interspersed with dense stands. Similar communities may exist as small patches in Oklahoma and

Kansas. Remnants of this vegetation in Kentucky are on poorly drained flats in the Big Barrens. There is a reported Panicum

SIMILAR ALLIANCES:

COMMENTS: This alliance once occupied hundreds of thousands of acres on the Prairie Terraces of southwestern Louisiana,

but few, if any, intact examples remain (MacRoberts and MacRoberts 1997b). Also once extensive from Texas coast to the Red

River, it now occurs as isolated remnants, often surrounded by cropland. Eastern gammagrass-dominated areas are the most

endangered grasslands in Texas (D. Diamond pers. comm.), and are very restricted and subject to grazing pressures. All areas

have been plowed. The Arkansas GAP Classification (Foti et al. 1994) has a palustrine type as well, P5A4aI1a. Tripsacum

dactyloides, P5a1aI2a. Panicum virgatum.

RANGE: This alliance is found in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma (?), and Texas.

TNC ECOREGIONS: 31:C, 32:C, 38:C, 40:C, 42:C, 44:C

FEDERAL LANDS:

SYNONYMY: Tallgrass Prairie, in part (Foti 1994); Wet Prairie, in part (Evans 1991); Wet/Mesic Coastal Prairie, in part (Smith

1996a); Central Coastal Prairie (LA ?); Gammagrass-Switchgrass Series (Diamond 1993); T5A1aI1a. Tripsacum dactyloides,

T5A1aI1b. Panicum virgatum (Foti et al. 1994); Tripsacum-Panicum-Sorghastrum community type (Diamond and Smeins

1985, 1988); gammagrass-switchgrass-Indiangrass type (Diamond and Smeins 1990); Lowland Community-type (Diamond and

Smeins 1984).

REFERENCES: , Diamond 1993, Diamond and Smeins 1984, Diamond and Smeins 1985, Diamond and Smeins 1988, Diamond

and Smeins 1990, Evans 1991, Foti et al. 1994, MacRoberts and MacRoberts 1997b, Smeins and Diamond 1983
Panicum virgatum - Tripsacum dactyloides Herbaceous Vegetation [Provisional] () (CEGL004624 SCS 490-10)

Switchgrass - Eastern Gammagrass Herbaceous Vegetation

Overcup Oak - (Water Hickory) Seasonally Flooded Forest Alliance

CONCEPT: Quercus lyrata is dominant or codominant in forests in this alliance. There is often substantial Carya aquatica,

especially in the wetter sites where no other canopy species occur. Less wet occurrences of this alliance will have substantial

characteristic species include Quercus laurifolia, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Carpinus caroliniana, Fraxinus profunda, Taxodium

(sometimes codominant to dominant), and occasionally Ulmus americana, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus michauxii, and

herbaceous stratum vary with geography and frequency of flooding. Common species in this layer include Justicia ovata,

(exotic), Vitis palmata, and Cardiospermum halicacabum. Herbs include Boehmeria cylindrica, Carex hyalinolepis, Carex

pers. comm.). Forests of this alliance occur on heavy clay soils of the Orders Ultisol and Vertisol on low, wet, seasonally

flooded floodplains, shallow sloughs with relatively little water flow, and in depressions.

SIMILAR ALLIANCES: This alliance is conceptually close to the I.B.2.N.e.16 Quercus texana - (Quercus lyrata) Seasonally

Flooded Forest Alliance (A.331) but has a larger geographic range and occurs in wetter conditions. In southern Illinois and

southwestern Indiana, where this alliance reaches the northern extension of its range, species with a more northern affinity,

especially Quercus palustris and Acer rubrum, may occur in sufficient numbers to cause classification difficulties. The

presence and relative density of Quercus lyrata should be the primary vegetative characteristic used to identify stands in

this alliance. This alliance is possibly similar to the I.B.2.N.e.15 Quercus phellos Seasonally Flooded Forest Alliance (A.330).

COMMENTS: Carya aquatica put back in the name for places in Arkansas and Louisiana with little or no Quercus lyrata.

RANGE: This alliance occurs throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Virginia to Florida, and in the Gulf Coastal Plain to

Texas. It also is found in the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain northward to Illinois. It is found in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, western Tennessee, eastern Texas,

Virginia, southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southwestern Indiana.

TNC ECOREGIONS: 31:P, 38:C, 40:P, 41:C, 42:C, 43:C, 44:C, 50:P, 52:C, 53:C, 56:C, 57:C, 58:P

FEDERAL LANDS: DOD (Arnold); NPS (Congaree Swamp, Shiloh); USFS (Angelina, Apalachicola?, Bienville, Croatan, Davy

Crockett, De Soto, Delta, Francis Marion, Holly Springs?, Homochitto, Kisatchie, Ouachita, Sabine, Sam Houston, St. Francis,

Tombigbee?)

SYNONYMY: IIA5a. Overcup Oak - Water Hickory Bottomland Forest (Allard 1990); Overcup Oak Forest (Foti 1994);

Floodplain Forest (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 1992a); Bottomland Hardwood swamp, in part (Evans 1991); Depression

Swamp, in part (Evans 1991); Overcup Oak Series, in part (Diamond 1993); P1B3cI4a. Quercus lyrata - Quercus nuttallii (= Q.

texana) - Liquidambar styraciflua (Foti et al. 1994); Overcup Oak Series (Diamond 1993); P1B3cI. Quercus lyrata, in part

(Foti et al. 1994); P1B3cVII14b. Quercus phellos - Quercus palustris - Quercus lyrata (Foti et al. 1994); Floodplain Forest,

Overcup Oak/Water Hickory Flat (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 1992b); Overcup Oak - Water Hickory: 96, in part (Eyre

1980).

Faber-Langendoen et al. 1996, Florida Natural Areas Inventory 1992b, Foti et al. 1994, Johnson and Bell 1976, Klimas 1988,

Robertson et al. 1984, Schafale pers. comm., Wharton et al. 1982, Zollner pers. comm.
Quercus lyrata - Carya aquatica Forest (DJA, mod. 7-94, mod. SL 11-96) (CEGL007397 SCS 380-10)

Overcup Oak - Water Hickory Forest

Overcup Oak - Sweetgum / Swamp-privet Forest

[Overcup Oak - Sweetgum Forest]

AR-GAP P.1.B.3.c.II

Carya aquatica - Faxinus pennsylvanica - Quercus lyrata

water hickory - white ash - overcup oak
I.B.2.N.e.3 CARYA AQUATICA - GLEDITSIA AQUATICA SEASONALLY FLOODED FOREST ALLIANCE (SL ) (A.318 SCS SL)

Water Hickory - Water-locust Seasonally Flooded Forest Alliance

CONCEPT: Bottomland hardwood associations, primarily of the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain, dominated by the nominal

species. Some occurrences may contain no other canopy species. Forests vary from those with 90 percent or more Carya

Red and Mississippi rivers) to those with some Quercus lyrata and Celtis laevigata. This alliance occurs in sites just slightly

drier than those that are dominated by Taxodium distichum and Nyssa aquatica, and slightly lower than those dominated

by Quercus lyrata.

SIMILAR ALLIANCES:

COMMENTS:

RANGE: This alliance is found in Arkansas (?), Louisiana (?), and Mississippi.

TNC ECOREGIONS: 31:P, 38:P, 40:P, 41:P, 42:C, 43:?

FEDERAL LANDS: USFS (Bienville?, Delta, Holly Springs?, Kisatchie?)

SYNONYMY: Overcup Oak - Water Hickory, in part (Eyre 1980).

REFERENCES: Eyre 1980, Wharton et al. 1982
Gleditsia aquatica - Carya aquatica Forest (SL) (CEGL007426 SCS 380-15)

Water-locust - Water Hickory Forest

Shumard Oak - Cherrybark Oak Forest Alliance

CONCEPT: Mesic calcareous forests and also mesic forests over loess deposits. As presently circumscribed, this alliance

includes forests of lower slopes above cypress or bottomland hardwood forests, as well as oak or oak-hardwood forests

adjacent to Keiffer Prairies or Jackson Prairies of Louisiana. The mesic calcareous forests associated with Jackson Prairies in

Louisiana contain a dense canopy dominated by Quercus shumardii, Quercus pagoda, and Fraxinus americana, with

of Louisiana. In Kentucky, vegetation of this alliance occurs in the Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain on lower toe slopes above

cypress or bottomland hardwood forests. Typical canopy trees include Quercus phellos, Quercus michauxii, Quercus pagoda,

Quercus falcata, and Quercus stellata. These are often mixed with swamp species like Quercus palustris and upland forest

species like Quercus alba. Flooding occurs in winter, and groundwater probably remains high through most years, but upper

soil horizons may become relatively dry in the summer.

SIMILAR ALLIANCES:

COMMENTS:

RANGE: This alliance is found in Alabama (?), Arkansas (?), Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee (?).

TNC ECOREGIONS: 40:C, 41:C, 42:P, 43:C, 53:C

FEDERAL LANDS: USFS (Kisatchie)

SYNONYMY: No equivalent (Eyre 1980).

REFERENCES: Allen 1993a, Martin and Smith 1991, Patterson et al. 1994, Smith et al. 1989

Cherrybark Oak - (Swamp Chestnut Oak, Shumard Oak) Forest