FLORA OF CALCAREOUS UPLAND GLADES IN GADSDEN AND JACKSON COUNTIES, FLORIDA

2013·11.8 MB·English

by  A F Johnson

FLORA OF CALCAREOUS UPLAND GLADES GADSDEN
IN
AND
JACKSON
COUNTIES, FLORIDA^
Johnson W.W.
Baker
A.F.
422
Florida Natural Areas Inventory Qrestview Ave.
1
W18
Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C Tallahassee, Florida 32303, U.S.A
Tallahassee, Florida 32303, U.S.A.
[email protected]
Gholson,
A.K.
Jr.
P.O.Box 385
Florida State University Chattahoochee, Florida 32324, U.S.A
Tallahassee, Florida 32306, U.S.A.
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
herbaceous openings in an otherwise forested land-
Florida upland glades are small (0.03 to 0.8 ha), largely
Jackson and Gadsden counties
scape, occurring on thin over calcareous substrates in dissected terrain in
soils
They form the southeastern outpost of a series
(plus one just north of the border in Decatur County, Georgia).
of calcareous and glades in the southeastern U.S., stretching from eastern Texas north to southern
prairies
dominated on
and glades surrounded by forest are the
Ohio and Georgia These isolated prairies
east to (Fig.
1).
Andro-
Midwestern prairies (Schizachyrium scoparium,
deeper by some same grasses as the tallgrass
soils of the
and Panicum virgatum; Sims 1988). Areas of shallower soil over calcareous
pogon Sorghastrum nutans
gerardii,
(Ware Lawless 2006).
substrates are characterized by the annual grass, Sporobolus vaginiflorus 2002; et al.
and
openings the north
While Florida upland glades share none of the endemic species of these calcareous to
some same dominant grasses
many common with them, including of the
west, they do have species in
’We dedicate this paper to Steven W. Leonard, who in 1982 brought attention to n
JBot.
Res. Inst. Texas 475
7(1):
How-
(Schizachynum
scoparium, Muhlenbergia and and Baskin 2003).
capiUaris, Sporobolus Baskin
vaginiflorus\
sedge
ever, the Florida glades are also unique in having as one of most dominants, the
their characteristic
Schoenus which
nigricans, is not found at any of the other sites shown in Figure
1.
as
These graminoid-dominated to
openings on been referred
calcareous outcrops have
traditionally
andBaskm
“glades” in Florida (or “upland glades” to distinguish them from Baskin
the Florida Everglades).
by an-
and
(2000) Lawless dominated
et (2004) suggest confining term
al. the ’’limestone cedar glade” to sites
«'
nual grasses, cryptogams, and winter annuals, while using and “barrens” to
“xeric limestone prairies”
diffei®
note areas dominated by perennial endemics and
grasses, in part because the two types have
different
where^
implications for management. Limestone cedar glades are naturally open due shallow substrates,
to
and
prairies barrens require anthropogenic fire to maintain them in open condition. However, the
eas have about equal proportions of the dominant annual and by above authors
perennial grasses cited the
1#"
dominant In
in addition, a perennial sedge whose determined.
relationship to soil depth has not been
Johnson et Flora of calcareous upland glades 477
al..
their uniqueness, we will refer to them here as “Florida upland glades” as distinct from “limestone cedar
glades” sensu Lawless et (2004). Florida upland glades are denoted as “panhandle Florida limestone prairie"
al.
&
Florida upland glades were recognized as a distinct community by Gholson (Ward Gholson 1987)
first
who began collecting specimens from River Junction and East Bank Campground glades in the 1970’s (includ-
ing the examples from glades of species that are rare in Florida, e Delphinium carolinianum, Ratibida
first
g.,
community was
and Symphyotrichum The idea of Florida upland glades as a distinct bol-
pinnata, pratense).
stered in 1982, when, as part of a systematic survey of habitats and rare species along the east side of the Apala-
Leonard and Baker discovered more upland glades in Gadsden County with four
chicola River, (1982) five
new and Symphyotrichum
species to Florida (Asckpias viridiflora, Echinacea purpurea, Stachys crenata, shortii)
new Continued by Gholson, Nelson, R.K.
and one to the Apalachicola region (Callirhoe papaver). collecting J.B.
Godfrey, and others on these upland glades, as well as on some in Jackson County, resulted in the finding of
new
more rare species, range extensions, and species to Florida (including Primula meadia, Salvia urticifolia,
and Sporobolus vaginiflorus; Anderson [1984, 1988, 1989, 2007]). Other publications reported the finding of
new (Nelson Lepuropetalon spalhulatum
including Bouteloua curtipendula 1985),
individual species to Florida,
&
(Ward Gholson and Carex microdonta (Bridges et 1989) and included short descriptions of the
1987), al.
known from upland glades was
glades vegetation, with the result that the current list of rare species the Florida
complete by the end of the 1980s. In 1987 Nelson, Anderson, and Gholson compiled a preliminary spe-
fairly
Gadsden County glades which was updated by Gholson in 1990. The present paper builds on
cies for the
list
County and
Gadsden County adds species from the Jackson glades, places
the preliminary for the glades,
list
and
the flora of the Florida upland glades in the context of other well-studied calcareous glades prairies to the
north and hoped publication will spur recognition of the biogeographical significance of the
west. this
It is
some preserved examples.
Florida upland glades and lead to protection of at least of the better
PHYSICAL SETTING
Geology
km
Florida upland glades occur in two clusters about 40 apart. The cluster of eleven Gadsden County glades
Gadsden
which be included with the
(plus a twelfth glade just over the border in Georgia, will hereafter
County within a 47 km^ area north, south, and southeast of the town of Chattahoochee
glades) are scattered
They occur an elevation of
along the uplands bordering the eastern side of the Apalachicola River (Fig. 2). at
m Formation
mean (90-100 contour and are underlain by the Chattahoochee
27.4-30.5 above sea level ft line)
which
with occasional occurrences of limestone, dips steeply
of lower Miocene sandy dolomite
age, a silty,
Chattahoochee (Rupert 1990). The cluster of nine Jackson
southward from a high point in the vicinity of
town Marianna They
County within 10 km^ area west and northwest of the of (Fig. 3).
glades are scattered a
and underlain by Marianna Limestone of lower Oligocene
occur between the 140- and 150-ft contour lines are
m maximum
above
which southward from a elevation
dips
age, a white gray limestone 7.6-12.2 thick
to light
m
mean sea near Marianna of 45.7 (150 Moore 1955). The Marianna is a commercial grade limestone
level ft;
mined of the glades.
that is being actively in the vicinity
Soils
Gadsden County, with a total of 13 samples
across three glades in
Coultas sampled along transects
(1983) soils
on herb-dominated
Depth hard limestone the
from open glades and 6 samples from forested edges of glades. to
open glades ranged from 10 to 36 cm; on the forested edge of the glades it ranged from 53 to >152 cm. Soil tex-
loam upper followed by several inches of soft limestone
ture on open was generally in the layers,
the glades silt
way and then
On sandy loam in the upper layers gave to clay to
grading to hard limestone. the forested edges,
The open glades soils were more alkaline (pH 7.5) than the soils of
soft limestone followed by hard limestone.
concludes from the lack of mottling in the subsoil
the surrounding (pH ranging from 5.3 to 6.4). Coultas
forests
of the open glades and the position of one of the sampled glades (#5 on Fig. 2) at the crest of a hfll that they are
woody probably controlled by the shallowness of the soils.
not seepage areas and that invasion is

479
Brooks-4; 20. Brooks-2;
5.Moranz;16.Bennett,17.
Climate
The mild winters and hot summers, with rainfall evenly distributed throughout the yean
area experiences
growing
cm (Weather-Warehouse The average length of the
2012).
mean
annual 140.6
21.4°C in rainfall is
July;
commonly and from September
drought periods occur most in April
season ranges from 260 280 days. Short
to
&
Purdum
through November (Fernald 1992).
once spring (March-june) and once in fall
Twenty were by the authors at least in
of the 21 glades visited
grow-
and most were multiple times throughout the
between 2005 and 2012, visited
(September-November)
widening sometime between 1985
which was destroyed by road
was Snake
ing season. The exception glade,
by Baker and Gholson in the 1980s. At each visit, species
and from four visits
2005. Records for this glade are
were from the open glade, from the edges,
made and voucher specimens collected. Plants listed
were
checklists
and area around or the forest edge within 10
including shrub zone between the open glade the forested it,
the
m Common and ground were
lichens
non-vascular plant taxa
was
open no shrub zone present.
of the
glade,
if
Once complete
was made compile an exhaustive list of these taxa. a relatively
no to
also noted, but attempt
now FLAS)
AKG,
Angus Gholson herbarium (formerly part of
was developed, the
of vascular plant species
list
vouchers.
specimens from the glades to serve as further
and Godfrey herbarium (FSU) were searched for
R.K.
photographs identify
and spurred a systematic search of aerial to
new was found this
In 2005 one glade
known used distinguish glades openings from clear-
new of glades. Criteria to
potential glades in the vicinity
1994 both counties.
2004, 1999, for
open on dates consulted;
remained aerial i.e.,
ings were: that all
sites
(1)
Gadsden County (Thomas and 1969 Jackson County (Duffee
plus 1954-55 for et al. 1961) for et al. 1979);
(2)
known j
sites that were within or close to the elevation contour lines in which glades occur in each county, i.e,
and had
90-100 in Gadsden county and 140-150 ft in Jackson County; (3) sites that soils associated with
ft
known glades and/ or rock outcrop symbols on the soil survey maps for the respective counties. In Gadsden
and Susquehanna on moderate
County these were Binnsville soils or Cuthbert, Boswell soils to steep slopes
,
complex
(Thomas et 1961). In Jackson County, soils were the Oktibbeha variant rock outcrop (Duffee et al.
al.
j
1979).
AND
RESULTS DISCUSSION
New
glades
i
In the search for new glades using aerial photography, fifty-one openings were identified in Jackson County
j
and seventeen of these were checked, yielding one relatively intact glade. Old Car, which was added to this
field
,
study, and three possible former glades that are now highly disturbed. The latter three, in addition to one pos-
known
sible disturbed glade prior to this study and one subsequently pointed out to us, brings to five the total
of possible former glades confirmed on the ground in Jackson County. In Gadsden County, twenty-two poten-
No new
glades were identified from aerial photography and nine of these were field checked. intact glades
tial
were found, but three possible former glades were identified, which, along with one possible former glade
on
number former glades identified the
subsequently pointed out to us, brings to a total of four the of possible
domi-
ground in Gadsden County. Possible former glades were identified by presence of characteristic glades
nants, such as Muhlenbergia Rhynchospora divergens, Sporobolus vaginijlorus, or Stenaria nigricans,
capillaris,
The (Eremochloa ophiuroides) is
plus characteristic forbs such as Polygala boykinii. non-native centipede grass
precluding fur-
the principal invading species on former glades, where often forms a dense turf, apparently
it
by
ther colonization native glades species.
with
areas
In addition to the larger graminoid-dominated glades, small glade-like openings in forested
known Jackson County,
some from Three Park in
of the characteristic glades forbs are four areas; Rivers State
Chatta-
north of
the Angus Gholson Nature Park in Chattahoochee, an area along the Florida-Georgia line
known
hoochee, and an area as “Brooks-3” west of Marianna in Jackson County.
Vegetation
charac
by a
bordered
Vegetation of the twenty-one glades consists of an open graminoid-dominated portion
on deeper soils
teristic set of calciphile shrubs and small trees that grade into the surrounding forest matrix
The surrounding
4a-b). These shrubs and small trees may also form clumps or islands on the open glade.
(Fig.
and pine-oak-
forests (where intact) consist of mesic upland hardwood forests on the steeper lower slopes,
still
upper slopes.
hickory forests, or, in a few cases, remnants of longleaf pine/wiregrass pinelands, on the gentler
Ot er
Jumperus predominant woody found on open glades and on the edges.
virginiana the species the
is
canadensis,
shrubs and small trees consistently present on the edges of most glades are Celtis laevigata, Cercis
lanugi
Comus Rhamnus Sideroxylon
Fraxinus americana. vomitoria, Myrica caroliniana,
asperifolia, Ilex cerifera,
com
in
two counties
nosum, reclinatum, and Viburnum rufidulum. There some differentiation between the
is
S.
County
common Gadsden
mon
woody species found on the glades. Acer saccharum ssp.Jloridanum more in
is
and
common
more pulcherrima,
and Quercus muhlenbergii is in Jackson County. Crataegus spathulata, C.
alata are found on glades only in Gadsden County.
^
wit
place i
Dominant species of the herbaceous portion vary from glade to glade and from place to
stands at
glade. Schoenus nigricans, a large, clump-forming sedge, forms dense, nearly monospecific
Mu
en
are
the twenty-one glades studied (Fig. 4a). Other large graminoids dominating portions of glades
vagini)
A Sporobolus
gia capillaris, Sporobolus junceus, and Schizachyrium scoparium. short turf composed of
s
Additiona
rus and/or Rhynchospora divergens (Fig. 4b) is often found on other portions of the glades.
^
clandes
commonly found on Sporobolus
grasses the glades include Aristida longispica, A. oligantha,
^
surface
Schizachyrium tenerum, and Panicum Areas with much bare or broken rock at the
soil
flexile.
Characteris
along with the moss Weissia jamaicense and cyanobacterium, Nostoc sp.
Stenaria nigricans, a
Johnson et Flora of calcareous upland glades
al.,
found nearly the glades include Allium ca-
herbs at all
Carex
nadense mobilense, Asclepias viridiflora,
var.
Nothoscordum
bivalve.
Polygala boykinii,
cherokeensis,
and Sabatia
Rhynchospora
colorata,
Ratibida pinnata,
angularis.
A herbaceous species of the
number
of characteristic
were found only in one county or the other, but
glades
Iudovidana,Canirhoepapavcr,andSymphyot-
var.
Piriquetadstoidesssp.caroHniana,Selagineliaapoda
not both.
m
were absent from those Jackson
Gadsden County glades, but
on majority of
richum pratense were present the
anonyma occurred on the majority of
and Packera
Rudbeckia
triloba,
County. Coreopsis lanceolata),
sp. (aff.
may contnbute
Gadsden County. Dispersal or substrate
Jackson County glades and were absent from those in
counUesareatleast40kmapart,sepa.atedby.hefioodplam
two
to these differences. The glade clusters in the
County
dolomite, whereas in Jackson it is
Gadsden County the glades substrate is
of the Apalachicola River. In
limestone.
which 302
twentyone glades 31 of are
^rnlTnumber on, or around the edge of, the is 1
noted either
of taxa
Of
the vas-
were found only on the edge of the glades.
species
Ninety-eight
vascular plant species (Appendix).
The
largest
advemive from the west (Oenothera speciosa).
and one
cular plants 280 are native, 21 non-native,
Umiaceae
and
Cyperaceae
by Poaceae (13),
followed (39),
with 50 species,
family represented Asteraceae
is
and
Qorasof other calcareous glades prat-
the
familiesin
one of the three largest
(12), Fabaceae typically
(11) is
place.
ties, but is here tied with Rosaceae for fifth ^ „
, , ,
Exotic Pest
by the Florida
gUdes considered invasive
upland are
on
Florida
Nine of the non-native species
on
noted
were frequently
Ligustrum
species of
Of only the three
these,
(FLEPPC Table
Plant Council 2011, 1).
FLEPPC EremtxWtnr ophmrai-
by
the
invasive
not as
Two species listed
non-native
the Florida upland glades.
gUdes and, together with the Ligustrum
on disturbed
noted
des and Pyracanthakoidjumii, were also frequently
on these^des^
non-native species
cover of
make up majority of the
species, tend to the
Hori^
(WAI
2012) as rare tn
Areas Inventory
Natural
by the Florida
tracked
Fifteen glades species are
Agncul-
Department of
stateofFloridaOTonda
endangered by the
as
(Table2).Fourteeu of these-arealso listed
southern range imit in
" sonar Mko,™s.t „ofr t.hbeassee aarree nnoorrtthheerrnn caldnhiles near their
and Consumer
Ser
).
482
Journal of the Botanical Research
Institute of
Texas
7(1)
* =
on Fiorida glades (n=11); species not listed by the Florida Exotic Pest Piant Councii but which are a threat to
Florida
giades,
FLEPPC Category I -species that are? invading and disrupting native plant communities in Fiorida; FLEPPC Category - species that have shown
il a potentid
to
disrupt native plant communities.
Species
FIEPPC-Categoryl FLEPPC-Category
II
Ligustrum japonicum
Ligustrum lucidum
Ligustrum sinense
Lonicerajaponica
Table 2. Rare species on Fiorida upiand glades (n=15). FNAI rankings are at the global (6) and state (S) levels: 1- critically imperiled because of extreme rarity:
2-imperiled because of rarity; 3-very rare or local; 4-secure; 5-demonstrably secure; ?-rank provisional; state of Florida ranking: LE-listed endangered (native
species in imminent danger of extinction in state due to rarity).
Only over
Florida. one, Mateleajloridana, secure
is globally rare, the rest being rare in Florida, but relatively
their total range (NatureServe 2012).
found
Six species appear to be largely confined to the Jackson and/or Gadsden County glades and are not
elsewhere in Horida (Wunderlin and Hansen
2011and Asdepias viricHflora,
personal
observations of authors):
Symphyotn-
Boutelouacurtipendula, Coreopsis and
sp. (aff. lanceolata), Ratibidapinnata, Sporobolus vaginiflorus,
chum The has just
pratense. moss, Pleurochaete luteola, was only known from the Jackson county glades, but
been found on author,
recently a limestone outcrop along Marks
the St River in Wakulla County, Florida (first
Four known carohnui-
pers. obs.). others are in Florida only from and Delphinium
the edges
vicinity of glades:
num, Echinacea purpurea. Primula meadia, and Symphyotrichum
shortii.
«
distinguish
Coreopsis sp. lanceolata) characterized by which
(aff. is infolded, narrow, glabrous leaves
for-
from on possible
C. lanceolata (Fig. 4c). It is frequent all nine Jackson County glades, as well as on the five
mer on eig ‘
glades in that county. absent from Gadsden County found
It is glades where Coreopsis lanceolata is
than
other
of the twelve glades. This narrow-leaved glabrous Coreopsis has not been observed by us in habitats
4«3
Flora of calcareous upland glades
iL,
glades and maintains its distinctness from C. lanceolata when the two are grown together from seed in a com-
mon
garden author, pers. observation).
(first
New
World on
Pleurochaete luteola has not previously been reported from Florida. In the it ranges calcare-
New
ous substrates from Virginia west to Mexico and south to South America (Flora of North America Edito-
Committee 2007 can form the dominant ground cover in semi-shaded cedar glades in Tennessee
rial vol. 27). It
&
(Quarterman known from the Ketona Dolomite glades in Bibb County, Alabama (Allison Stevens
1950), is
Oaky Woods Management
and was noted by the author in 2009 at a blackland prairie at Wildlife
2001), first
Area, Houston County, Georgia. In Florida we found on two glades in Jackson County, in both cases as a
it
single isolated patch in partial shade ofJuniperus virginiana.
Symphyotrichum pratense a western disjunct whose main range is centered on prairies in eastern Texas,
is
Louisiana, and Arkansas Qones et al. 2008). Eastward from its central range, it has widely scattered disjunct
open MS, AL, GA, TN, KY, and VA. The Florida population at the Gads-
populations in calcareous habitats in
den glades an isolated outpost at the southeastern extreme of its range Qones et al. 2008, Fig. 2). Three other
is
Hymenopappus and Linum medium texanum, are frequent
western species, Callirhoe papaver, scabiosaeus, var.
and
on Florida upland glades, but rare or absent on the Alabama blackbelt prairies, Ketona Dolomite glades,
Woods
Oaky
sites.
where
Like Pleurochaete luteola, Bouteloua curtipendula is very rare on Florida upland glades it is at the
&
common on glades and calcareous prairies to the north and west (Baskin
southern limit of range.
its It is
&
Baskin 2003; Campbell Seymour 2012; Morris et al. 1993).
and
Of number found individual glades ranged from 43 to 162 (Table 3) the
the 311 species the at
listed,
was
number Snake which was not sampled as intensively as the others) 105. So-
average per glade (excluding
renson’s Index of Similarity, the percentage of the average number of species in two glades that are held in
i.e.,
&
more Gads-
common (Mueller-Dumbois Ellenberg 1974), was calculated for six of the intact glades, three in
County Bumpnose, and Old Simi-
den (Brickyard, EB, and Humphrey) and three in Jackson (Brooks-1, Car).
ranged from 66-69% among the three Gadsden glades and 66 to 71% among the three Jackson glades.
larities
showed somewhat lower
Pairwise comparisons between glades from the two different counties similarities,
same
ranging from 53 63%. A value >50% generally required for samples to be considered part of the plant
to is
community
(Barbour 1980).
et
al.
openings
Comparison with of other calcareous
floras
found on other calcareous glades and prairies in the Southeast
The upland glades species
percentage of Florida
where comprehen-
was determined from a literature review. Table 4 shows a comparison with sites relatively
upland
were compiled. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Florida
growing season
sive species over the entire
lists
common them, namely, the blackbelt
number with those areas closest to
glades have the highest of species in
Alabama, with decreasing
and Ketona Dolomite glades of
and the
Alabama, Mississippi,
prairies in Georgia,
GA
common north (TN, AL, glades) and west (isolated calcare-
numbers with farther to the
of species in sites
combined from number of compiled from the
LA Comparison with species a sites,
ous and lists
prairies in TX).
shows same
MS and the Southeastern cedar glades, the pattern.
AL/ blackbelt prairies for
literature for the
Table
nearby calcareous (listed in 4)
common upland glades species at sites
some Florida
Occurrence of
openings
common occur on most other calcareous in
on Florida glades that also
shown
are in Table Species
5.
upland glades species, found in few other habitats
the Southeast include two of the most characteristic Florida
Common found only
upland glades species
Florida
and Sporobolus vaginijlorus.
in the state, Asclepias viridiflora
AL/MS and Oaky Woods) are generally southern
blackbelt,
on Dolomite glades,
(Ketona
the
closest sites
Georgia
which northern range limit in
reaches
An its
example Evolvulus sericeus,
coastal plain species. is
from
absent
& common upland glades species that are
Florida
of
true
This also largely
(Bridges Orzell 1989). is
Among dominant on Florida upland glades,
species
north and west. these is a
other calcareous openings to the
and North America. In
Europe South Africa
from northern to
which distributed
Schoenus spottily
nigricans, is
wide of
Over range spans a diversity
and Nevada. entire
its it
the U.S found in Florida, Texas, California,
is
it
&
(Munz Keck Sparling 1968). In
1959;
Europe hot springs in California
northern to
habitats from acid bogs in
4
IS visited times prior to 2005.
Florida it occurs on moist to wet calcareous substrates in the panhandle, throughout south Florida, and in two
&
on spedes
counties the central west coast of the peninsula (Wunderlin Hansen 2008). Of the twenty-seven
frequently found on nearhy calcareous openings hut not found on Florida glades, six occur in Florida in other
West
and do
habitats the rest not range south to Florida. Five of these have their centers of distribution in the
&
Midwest and Brown 2003).
or are disjunct to the east on calcareous glades and prairies (Bridges Orzell 1986;
CONCLUDING REMARKS
In terms of dominant species, Florida upland glades from other calcareous glades and prairies to tte
differ
and
north and west in the dominance of species in the Cyperaceae Rhynchospora divergens)
(Schoenus
nigricans,
the relative paucity of species in the Fabaceae.
relati«
Questions the
outside the scope of this paper that remain for future studies to answer include
up
roles soil texture, soil depth, and fire frequency have in controlling woody colonization of the Florida
herbaceous
glades, plus the relative roles of disturbance and soil depth in determining the distribution of
dominants within any
single glade.
somewhat
In the context of the rest of the Southeast, the Florida upland glades can be considered a
Texas
from
anomalous
southeastern outpost of a series of calcareous and extending eastward
glades
prairies
pot®
through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and From photographs of
Georgia. an examination of aerial
w
numerous
glade openings in the two Horida were more
tial counties, appears openings
likely that glade
it
Flon
The
pre-settlement times, but probably did not extend much than present.
further geographically at
a^
upland community Florida
glades (denoted as “upland glade”) ranked GlSl imperiled) by the
is (critically
promi^
^
ural Areas Inventory (FNAI and without a
2010) is the only highly ranked community in Florida
two
under and
site protection. Currently one small Florida glade is protected on a state park (Moranz)
(
^
lan^
road and Pride) are on public land that not managed Of those on private
is actively for their protection.
two have been destroyed by mining (Brooks-4 and Brickyard,
Brooks-2) and (Bumpnose, Brooks-1,
five