This community occurs on subcalcareous shale with an open canopy of Quercus prinus. It is a woodland with other scattered woody plants including an understory of Ostrya. The flora is moderately calciphilic (e.g., Ostrya, Cocculus) but with Carex pensylvanica and Andropogon gerardii. There are few pines (Pinus virginiana). These are more common upslope. The shrub layer is open with patches of Vaccinium stramineum. Also Philadelphus hirsutus and Cocculus. The substrate is very unstable with sloughing-off shale mini-talus. The soil is silty and mixed with greater than 50% shale fragments. It apparently weathers directly from the shale and mixed with little organic matter. Some burned roots indicate a recent fire history. The Quercus prinus are multi-stemmed apparently cut in the past and regenerated. There are many exotics but none are dominant. This could be a problem in the future.
