National Forests in Florida Final Report


III.A.4.N.a. Lowland microphyllous evergreen shrubland



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III.A.4.N.a. Lowland microphyllous evergreen shrubland


III. Shrubland

III.A.4.N.a.5 Florida Rosemary Shrubland Alliance (A.817)


CERATIOLA ERICOIDES SHRUBLAND ALLIANCE

Alliance Concept

Summary: Xeric sands dominated by Ceratiola ericoides, sometimes with substantial admixture of other shrubs, such as xeric scrub oaks or Chrysoma pauciflosculosa. This alliance is one component of 'Florida scrub,' and includes rosemary-dominated coastal and interior scrub vegetation. Associations of this alliance are found in several different geographic areas: inland on the Florida peninsula (especially on the Lake Wales Ridge, but also on other inland sand ridges), along the Atlantic Coast of Florida (on near-coastal sand ridges), along the Gulf Coast of panhandle Florida and Alabama (on maritime dunes along this low energy coast), and possibly in inland river-associated deep sand deposits of Georgia and South Carolina. Communities in this alliance may also contain scrub oaks at low densities, primarily Quercus geminata, Quercus myrtifolia, Quercus chapmanii, and Quercus inopina (in Lake Wales Ridge examples). Other sclerophyllous or microphyllous shrubs may be present along with Ceratiola ericoides, such as Serenoa repens, Sabal etonia, Lyonia ferruginea, various woody mints (in the genera Calamintha, Conradina, Dicerandra, and Trichostema), and others. Pines are absent, or occur at very low densities, in this phase of scrub vegetation. Scattered individuals of Pinus clausa or Pinus elliottii may be present. Some characteristic species in Gulf Coast examples include Chrysoma pauciflosculosa, Conradina canescens, Smilax auriculata, Helianthemum arenicola, Lechea sessiliflora, and Paronychia erecta. Some peninsular Atlantic Coast examples have Ceratiola as a single dominant. The ground cover frequently includes fruticose lichens such as Cladonia leporina, Cladonia prostrata, Cladina evansii, and Cladina subtenuis, which form 100% cover in some places. Ceratiola ericoides scrub is pyrogenic with fire frequencies of 30-40 years, depending on fuel availability and ignition sources. This alliance occurs on various kinds of deep sands: recent coastal or near-coastal dunes, inland sand ridges, ancient dune systems, and eolian-reworked riverine sand deposits. The Florida Central Ridge is composed of a variety of eolian, alluvial, and marine deposits of Miocene to early Pleistocene age. These soils are excessively well-drained Quartzipsamments which lack silt, clay, or organic matter and are very low in nutrients. While often associated with deep white sands ('sugar sands'), not all examples of scrub occur on these particular sands. It is inferred that whiter sands are associated with more ancient scrub vegetation. Early successional scrub vegetation occurs on younger, more exposed dune ridges; more protected examples may eventually develop a characteristic open pine overstory. The exposed occurrences tend to have much larger areas of open sand than do their more protected counterparts.

Synonymy:

  • IB8h. Gulf Coastal Scrub, in part (Allard 1990)

  • Scrub, in part (FNAI 1992a)

  • Rosemary Scrub (Wolfe 1990)

Comments:

Alliance Distribution

Range: Associations of this alliance are found in several different geographic areas: inland on the Florida peninsula (especially on the Lake Wales Ridge, but also on other inland sand ridges), along the Atlantic Coast of Florida (on near-coastal sand ridges), along the Gulf Coast of panhandle Florida and Alabama (on maritime dunes along this low energy coast), and in inland river-associated deep sand deposits of Georgia and possibly South Carolina (?). It is also found in Mississippi.

States: AL FL GA MS SC?

USFS Ecoregions: 232B:C, 232C:C, 232D:C, 232G:C

Federal Lands: DOD (Cape Canaveral); USFS (Ocala); USFWS (Merritt Island?)

Alliance Sources

References: Abrahamson 1984, Allard 1990, Austin 1976, Christman 1988, FNAI 1992a, Johnson 1982, Johnson and Abrahamson 1990, Johnson and Barbour 1990, Johnson and Muller 1993a, Johnson et al. 1992a, Laessle 1958, Myers 1990, TNC 1992, Wolfe 1990

III.A.4.N.d. Seasonally flooded microphyllous shrubland


III. Shrubland

III.A.4.N.d.1 (Chapman's St. John's-wort, Peelbark St. John's-wort) Seasonally Flooded Shrubland Alliance (A.844)


HYPERICUM (CHAPMANII, FASCICULATUM) SEASONALLY FLOODED SHRUBLAND ALLIANCE

Alliance Concept

Summary: This alliance consists of seasonally flooded shrublands which are dominated by Hypericum chapmanii or Hypericum fasciculatum. This vegetation ocurs in a variety of wetland habitats in the East Gulf Coastal Plain, South Atlantic Coastal Plain, and may extend into central Florida and the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. Hypericum chapmanii is endemic to the Florida panhandle, while Hypericum fasciculatum ranges throughout the Coastal Plain from Louisiana to North Carolina and into southern Florida. Association types in this alliance range from rich herbaceous-dominated types to those mixed with shrub species such as Cyrilla parvifolia, Ilex myrtifolia, Hypericum brachyphyllum, Hypericum fasciculatum, and Nyssa ursina. Frequent associated herbaceous species are Coreopsis nudata, Polygala cymosa, Lobelia floridana, Pinguicula planifolia, Eriocaulon decangulare, and Eriocaulon compressum.

Synonymy:

  • Dome Swamp, in part (FNAI 1990)

  • Shrub/scrub vegetation, cypress/gum pond (Ambrose 1990a)

Comments:

Alliance Distribution

Range: This alliance is found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. It is probable in the Florida peninsula, and its status in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain is unclear.

States: AL FL GA SC

USFS Ecoregions: 232B:C, 232C:P, 232D:C, 232G:C

Federal Lands: DOD (Eglin); USFS (Apalachicola)

Alliance Sources

References: Ambrose 1990a, FNAI 1990, Folkerts 1997


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