Releve Virginia Division of Natural Heritage, see http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/documents/nh_plotform_instructions.pdf
Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated?
no
Stem Observation Area
400
m²
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
--no data--
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: SE-facing slope bordering College Run, 0.4 miles S of Chestnut Bluffs.
Rock Types Present: abundant shell fragments in mineral soil.
A steep, dry-mesic slope with extraordinary fertility and floristic composition for the Coastal Plain. Large, somewhat gnarled Quercus muhlenbergii dominate the open forest vegetation, which contains a moderately dense, diverse herb stratum. Species not known elsewhere on the Virginia Coastal Plain are Corallorhiza wisteriana and Thalictrum revolutum. Other noteworthy calciphiles are Juglans nigra, Dirca palustris, Aquilegia canadensis, Hexalectris spicata, Erigeron pulchellus, Heliopsis helianthoides. This is likely a rare, small-patch vegetation type that has many similarities to dry, calcareous ravine forests of The Peninsula near Williamsburg and Yorktown.