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: 0.86 km ESE of the summit of Halls Point.
Rock Types Present: large metabasalt outcrops and debris.
The plot captures rocky clifftop vegetation dominated by Quercus montana and deciduous ericads (Gaylussacia baccata, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium stamineum). Despite xeric conditions and rather infertile soils, the vegetation has surprisingly high species richness for a chestnut oak/ericad forest and contains several species (e.g., Ostrya virginiana, Senecio pauperculus, Aquilegia canadensis, Solidago ulmifolia) more often associated with basic soils. The base-saturated nature of metabasaltic bedrock, along with high soil Mn, may account for these compositional anomalies.