Occurrence is on a very steep east-facing slope overlooking the Cacapon River just north of Largent. Across the river to the east is a sloping, partially forested valley floor with some house lots. This sharp ridge which the river follows changes aspect close by to the south and a highway follows the contour on the other side of the ridge which has mixed hardwood cover.;Tree cover is sparse and variable. Many trees have uprooted in the shallow soil and have fallen over. Litter is accumulated behind rocks and limbs.
Representativeness
The plot is higher on the slope than most of this very steep shale barren which contains short cliff segments, but it is nonetheless quite representative in species present in microtopography. It was chosen because sampling was functionally more feasible
