Harrell Prairie Botanical Area
Encyclopedia
Harrell Prairie Botanical Area or Harrell Prairie Hill is a 160 acres (64.7 ha) tallgrass prairie
nature preserve located within Bienville National Forest
near Forest, Mississippi
. It is a rare remaining example of the Jackson Prairie Belt in Mississippi. It was declared a National Natural Landmark
in May 1976 and a Botanical Area by the Forest Service in 1980.
of the Blackbelt (or Black Prairie)
physiographic
area in Mississippi and Alabama.
The alkali
ne soil
s (pH
greater than 7.5) ensure a unique plant ecology unlike the nearby woodlands of Loblolly Pine
(Pinus taeda). Common grass
es include Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium
), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans
), Big Bluestem
(Andropogon gerardii)), Broomsedge Bluestem (A. virginicus var. virginicus
), Bushy Broomsedge (A. glomeratus
), and Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Other herbaceous plant
s include Yellow Coneflower (Rudbeckia pinnata
), Eastern Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea
), Blazing Star (Liatris
spp.), False Boneset (Brickellia
eupatorioides var. eupatorioides), Green Milkweed (Asclepias
hirtella), Green Comet Milkweed (A. viridiflora), Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea
purpurea var. purpurea
), White Prairie Clover (D. candida var. candida
), Aster (Symphyotrichum
spp.), Tick-trefoil (Desmodium
spp.), Rosepink (Sabatia angularis
), Smooth Oxeye (Heliopsis
helianthoides), Little-leaved Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
) and Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa
).
It is also an example of the geophysical transformation of the Mississippi River delta
.
policy to protect the rare species.
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
nature preserve located within Bienville National Forest
Bienville National Forest
Bienville National Forest is a United States National Forest in central Mississippi. It is named for Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. In descending order of land area it lies in parts of Scott, Smith, Jasper, and Newton counties. It has an area of 178,542 acres...
near Forest, Mississippi
Forest, Mississippi
Forest is a city in Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,987 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Scott County.-Geography:Forest is located at ....
. It is a rare remaining example of the Jackson Prairie Belt in Mississippi. It was declared a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
in May 1976 and a Botanical Area by the Forest Service in 1980.
Description
There are 68 identified prairies in the National Forest, locally called cedar fields, which avoided agriculture development due to their purchase by lumber companies. Harrell Hill contains the "largest and least disturbed" example of the Jackson Prairie in Mississippi. The Jackson Prairie is a disjunctDisjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
of the Blackbelt (or Black Prairie)
Black Belt (U.S. region)
The Black Belt is a region of the Southern United States. Although the term originally described the prairies and dark soil of central Alabama and northeast Mississippi, it has long been used to describe a broad agricultural region in the American South characterized by a history of plantation...
physiographic
Physical geography
Physical geography is one of the two major subfields of geography. Physical geography is that branch of natural science which deals with the study of processes and patterns in the natural environment like the atmosphere, biosphere and geosphere, as opposed to the cultural or built environment, the...
area in Mississippi and Alabama.
The alkali
Alkali
In chemistry, an alkali is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal element. Some authors also define an alkali as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7. The adjective alkaline is commonly used in English as a synonym for base,...
ne soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
s (pH
Soil pH
The soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity in soils. pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the activity of hydrogen ions in solution. It ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. A pH below 7 is acidic and above 7 is basic. Soil pH is considered a master variable in soils as it...
greater than 7.5) ensure a unique plant ecology unlike the nearby woodlands of Loblolly Pine
Loblolly Pine
Pinus taeda is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from central Texas east to Florida, and north to Delaware. It is particularly dominant in the eastern half of North Carolina, where there are huge expanses consisting solely of Loblolly Pine trees...
(Pinus taeda). Common grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es include Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium
Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium, commonly known as little bluestem or beard grass, is a North American prairie grass. Little bluestem is a perennial bunchgrass and is prominent in tallgrass prairie, along with big bluestem , indiangrass and switchgrass...
), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans
Sorghastrum nutans
Sorghastrum nutans, commonly known as Yellow Indiangrass, is a North American prairie grass found in the central and eastern United States and Canada, especially in the Great Plains...
), Big Bluestem
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii, known also as Big bluestem, Turkey foot, Prairie tallgrass, or simply Tallgrass, is a tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and Prairie regions of central North America- Description :...
(Andropogon gerardii)), Broomsedge Bluestem (A. virginicus var. virginicus
Andropogon virginicus
Andropogon virginicus is a species of grass known by several common names, including broomsedge bluestem and yellowsedge bluestem. It is native to the southeastern United States and as far north as the Great Lakes. It is known as an introduced species in California and Hawaii, where it is...
), Bushy Broomsedge (A. glomeratus
Andropogon glomeratus
Andropogon glomeratus is a species of grass known by the common names bushy bluestem and bushy beardgrass. This grass reaches heights approaching two meters-6 feet and has large, fluffy cream-colored inflorescences. Each dense, tufted inflorescence has several pairs of hairy spikelets. The leaves...
), and Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Other herbaceous plant
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
s include Yellow Coneflower (Rudbeckia pinnata
Rudbeckia pinnata
Rudbeckia pinnata, commonly called the Grey-headed Coneflower , Yellow Coneflower or Prairie Coneflower, is a very common prairie plant. Its flowers consist of drooping yellow flower petals surrounding a center cone which is light colored often with a dark ring near the bottom as the flower...
), Eastern Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea
Echinacea purpurea
Echinacea purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the genus Echinacea. Its cone-shaped flowering heads are usually, but not always purple. It is native to eastern North America and present to some extent in the wild in much of the eastern, southeastern and midwest United States...
), Blazing Star (Liatris
Liatris
Liatris is a genus of ornamental plants in the Asteraceae family, native to North America, Mexico, and the Bahamas. These plants are used as a popular summer flowers for bouquets.They are perennials, surviving the winter in the form of corms....
spp.), False Boneset (Brickellia
Brickellia
Brickellia is a genus of about 100 species of plants in the sunflower family , known commonly as brickellbushes. They are found in North America, Mexico, and Central America. Many species are native to the American southwest, especially Texas...
eupatorioides var. eupatorioides), Green Milkweed (Asclepias
Asclepias
Asclepias L. , the milkweeds, is a genus of herbaceous perennial, dicotyledonous plants that contains over 140 known species...
hirtella), Green Comet Milkweed (A. viridiflora), Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea
Dalea
Dalea is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as prairie clover or indigo bush. Its name honours English apothecary Samuel Dale .-Species:-Formerly placed here:...
purpurea var. purpurea
Dalea purpurea
Dalea purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name purple prairie clover, better written as "prairie-clover," in recognition of the fact that it is not a true clover...
), White Prairie Clover (D. candida var. candida
Dalea candida
Dalea candida is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name white prairie clover. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout central Canada, the central United States, and northern Mexico. It can sometimes be found outside its range as an...
), Aster (Symphyotrichum
Symphyotrichum
Symphyotrichum is a genus of about 90 species of herbaceous annual and perennial plants in the composite family that were formerly treated within the genus Aster. The majority are endemic in North America, but several species also occur in the West Indies, Central and South America, as well as in...
spp.), Tick-trefoil (Desmodium
Desmodium
Desmodium is a genus in the flowering plant family Fabaceae, sometimes called tick-trefoil, tick clover or beggar lice. There are dozens of species and the delimitation of the genus has shifted much over time....
spp.), Rosepink (Sabatia angularis
Sabatia angularis
Sabatia angularis is a plant native to the United States.-External links:**...
), Smooth Oxeye (Heliopsis
Heliopsis
Heliopsis from Greek helios for "sun" and opsis for "appearance" is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae native to North and South America.- Species :Heliopsis species include:*Heliopsis buphthalmoides...
helianthoides), Little-leaved Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium is a plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae.Many authors believed that the name Pycnanthemum flexuosum refers to this plant, but this does not appear to be correct....
) and Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa
Monarda fistulosa
Wild bergamot or Bee Balm is a wildflower in the mint family widespread and abundant as a native plant in much of North America. This plant, with showy summer-blooming white flowers, is often used as a honey plant, medicinal plant, and garden ornamental...
).
It is also an example of the geophysical transformation of the Mississippi River delta
Mississippi River Delta
The Mississippi River Delta is the modern area of land built up by alluvium deposited by the Mississippi River as it slows down and enters the Gulf of Mexico...
.
Visiting
There are no trails or facilities in the area. There is parking along the side of FS 515 and a sign indicating the area. Many of the flowering species are in bloom in late spring.. Since it is a nature preserve, there is a leave no traceLeave No Trace
Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
policy to protect the rare species.