Sumter National Forest Final Report - NatureServe

USFS Ecoregions: 221Ba:CCC, 221Ha:CC?, 221Hb:CCC, 221Hc:CCC, 221He:CCC, 222Eg:CCC, 222En:CCC, 222Eo:CCC,231Cd:CCC, M221Aa:CCC, M221Ab:CCC, M221Ac:CCC, M221Ad:CCP, M221Ba:CCC, M221Bb:CCC, M221Bd:CCC,M221Be:CCC, M221Cd:CCP, M221Dc:CCC, M221Dd:CCCFederal Lands: NPS (Great Smoky Mountains); USFS (Bankhead, Chattahoochee, Cherokee, Daniel Boone, George Washington,Jefferson, Nantahala, Pisgah, Sumter)ELEMENT SOURCESReferences: Allard 1990, CAP pers. comm. 1998, Cowardin et al. 1979, Eyre 1980, Fleming and Coulling 2001, Fleming andMoorhead 1996, Fleming et al. 2001, Hupp 1982, NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern U.S. unpubl. data, Palmer-Ball et al. 1988,Peet et al. unpubl. data 2002, Schafale 1998b, Schafale and Weakley 1990, Schafale pers. comm., Southeastern Ecology WorkingGroup n.d.COMMON WATER-WILLOW HERBACEOUS VEGETATIONSOUTHERN PIEDMONT SMALL FLOODPLAIN AND RIPARIAN FORESTELEMENT IDENTIFIERSNVC association: Justicia americana Herbaceous VegetationDatabase Code: CEGL004286Formation: Temporarily flooded temperate perennial forb vegetation (V.B.2.N.d)Alliance: Justicia americana Temporarily Flooded Herbaceous Alliance (A.1657)ELEMENT CONCEPTSummary: This association is found primarily in the Piedmont, Cumberland Plateau, Interior Low Plateau, Ozarks, OuachitaMountains, and adjacent provinces. Stands occur on the shoals or bars of rocky streams and riverbeds. It provides habitat in someportions of its range for globally rare dragonflies and herbs. Justicia americana is the characteristic dominant. Other herbaceousspecies that may be present include Diodia teres, Gratiola brevifolia, Leersia sp., Lemna minor, Orontium aquaticum, Podostemumceratophyllum, Scirpus sp., Saururus cernuus, and Xyris difformis var. difformis. A sparse canopy layer, which can include Carpinuscaroliniana ssp. caroliniana, Salix interior, Fagus grandifolia, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica among other species, may be present.Environment: This association occurs on the shoals or bars of rocky streams and riverbeds, or gravelly sands.Vegetation: Justicia americana is the characteristic dominant. Other herbaceous species that may be present include Diodia teres,Gratiola brevifolia, Leersia sp., Lemna minor, Orontium aquaticum, Podostemum ceratophyllum, Saururus cernuus, and Xyrisdifformis var. difformis. In Ohio, Justicia usually grows in nearly pure patches, so that few other species are associated with it. Bidensspp., Cuscuta gronovii, Mimulus ringens, Polygonum spp., Rumex spp., and Salix interior can occur (Anderson 1982). A sparsecanopy layer may be present, which can include Carpinus caroliniana, Fagus grandifolia, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica, among others.In the Cumberland Plateau of Alabama, Justicia americana is present in dense patches with some interspersion of other speciesincluding Pilea pumila, Boehmeria cylindrica, Eclipta prostrata (= Eclipta alba), Juncus coriaceus, Mikania scandens, Ludwigiapalustris, Leersia sp. and Bidens sp. Schmalzer and DeSelm (1982) discuss Orontium aquaticum growing along streambanks or inshallow riffles "along or with" Justicia americana in the Obed River in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.Dynamics: Stands in some situations may be obliterated by ongoing river channeling. Anderson (1982) describes some of the lifehistorycharacteristics of Justicia americana that allow it to persist in river channels.Similar Associations:Related Concepts:• Aquatic Types (Schmalzer and DeSelm 1982) B• IIE3a. Riverside Shoal and Stream Bar Complex (Allard 1990) B• Rocky Bar and Shore (Water Willow Subtype) (Schafale 1998b) ?Classification Comments: This type, in Ohio, often forms pure patches, but consistent identification may require a simple cutoffrule, such as at least 50% cover of Justicia (Anderson 1982). However, Anderson (1996) no longer recognizes this type.CONSERVATION RANKING & RARE SPECIESGRank: G4G5 (1997-9-12): No informationHigh-ranked species: No informationELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONRange: This type is found primarily in the Piedmont, Interior Low Plateau, Cumberland Plateau, Ozarks, Ouachita Mountains, andadjacent provinces. It ranges from Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas west to Arkansas and Oklahoma and north to Ohio,Pennsylvania, and Delaware.Subnations: AL, AR, GA, KY, MD?, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC?, TN, VA?, WVTNC Ecoregions: 38:C, 39:C, 43:C, 44:C, 45:C, 48:C, 49:C, 50:C, 51:C, 52:C, 59:C, 60:C, 61:CVegetation of Sumter National Forest April 30 2004Copyright © 2004 NatureServe97