Ohio subset of Plant Communities of the Midwest ... - NatureServe

Wooded Swamps and Floodplains: Midwestern Wet Flatwoods
Quercus palustris - Quercus bicolor - Nyssa sylvatica - Acer rubrum Sand Flatwoods Forest
Pin Oak - Swamp White Oak - Blackgum - Red Maple Sand Flatwoods Forest
Pin Oak - Swamp White Oak Sand Flatwoods
CEGL002100
DESCRIPTION: Deciduous hardwoods and softwoods dominate the tree canopy. Dominants include several oaks,
Quercus palustris and Quercus bicolor, as well as Acer rubrum and Nyssa sylvatica. The shrub layer may contain Ilex
verticillata, Spiraea tomentosa, and Vaccinium angustifolium. Herbaceous species include Maianthemum canadense,
Mitchella repens, Osmunda cinnamomea, and Osmunda regalis ( White and Madany 1978).
This community occurs on poorly drained uplands or in depressions on level glacial lakeplains or outwash plains.
There is typically a layer of strongly acid sand over a layer of impermeable or nearly impermeable clay. The clay layer
causes a shallow, perched water table. Ponding is common during the wet seasons, but water levels drop through the
growing season. Clays may then prevent water from moving back up through capillary action during drought periods
(White and Madany 1978).
Given that fire was probably common in adjacent landscapes, sand flatwoods may have experienced fire during
drought periods. Some may have supported sand prairie flora prior to onset of fire suppression (White and Madany
1978, P. Comer pers. comm. 1997).
COMMENTS: 2, MCS. Concept of the type is that of a somewhat acidic sand flatwoods. Glyceria striata may be
common in the understory. Type shows some similarity to Quercus palustris - Quercus bicolor - (Liquidambar
styraciflua) Mixed Hardwood Forest (CEGL002432), which occurs further south.
CONSERVATION RANK: G2. There are probably fewer than 100 occurrences rangewide. Eighteen occurrences have
been documented from 3 states (Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan); it is also reported from Ohio and Ontario. Several
occurrences are in good condition. This community is ranked S3 in Ohio (though only one stand has been
documented), and S1 in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. There are probably less than 10,000 acres rangewide, over
1000 acres are currently documented, but several sites are small (less than 20 acres). This flatwoods community is
restricted to moist, sandy lake plains. It is documented from 10 subsections in two provinces.
DISTRIBUTION: This pin oak - swamp white oak sand flatwoods community is found in the midwestern United States
and adjacent Canada, ranging from northern Illinois, southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and southern Ontario, to
northwestern Ohio.
USFS ECOREGIONS: 222Ab:CCC, 222Af:CCC, 222Aj:CCC, 222If:CCC, 222Jh:CCC, 222Ji:CCC, 222Jj:CCC, 222Ki:CCC,
251Cc:CCC, 251Cf:CCC, 251Dg:CCC, 251Dh:CC
CONSERVATION REGIONS: 36:C, 38:C, 43:, 48:C
STATES: IL IN MI OH PROVINCES: ON
MIDWEST HERITAGE SYNONYMY: IL sand flatwoods =
IN sand flatwoods =
MI pin oak depression +
OH oak-maple swamp +
OTHER SYNONYMY:
USNVC HIERARCHY: QUERCUS PALUSTRIS - (QUERCUS BICOLOR) SEASONALLY FLOODED FOREST ALLIANCE (I.B.2.N.e)
PLANT COMMUNITIES OF THE MIDWEST – 2001. APPENDIX: ASSOCIATION DESCRIPTIONS
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