Name:
A.249
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
Dry-mesic to mesic forests dominated by ~Quercus prinus$ occurring in admixture with other ~Quercus$ species, in the Blue Ridge, Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, Cumberland Plateau, and the Interior Low Plateau. ~Quercus prinus$ is the leading dominant in these forests, but other common canopy species can include ~Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Quercus falcata, Quercus rubra, Quercus velutina, Acer rubrum, Carya alba, Carya glabra, Carya ovalis, Carya ovata, Carya pallida, Fagus grandifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa sylvatica$, and ~Pinus strobus$. The subcanopy often contains ~Cornus florida$ and ~Oxydendrum arboreum$. Drier examples can contain ~Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana$. Other common species in the subcanopy/shrub stratum include ~Acer rubrum, Carya glabra, Cercis canadensis, Hamamelis virginiana, Kalmia latifolia, Nyssa sylvatica, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Rhododendron maximum, Robinia pseudoacacia, Stewartia ovata, Symplocos tinctoria, Vaccinium stamineum$, and ~Viburnum acerifolium$. The ground flora varies depending on available light, moisture, and soil nutrients but can be quite diverse, especially in associations with sparse shrub cover. Herbaceous species characteristic of these dry-mesic to mesic oak - hickory forests include ~Symphyotrichum cordifolium (= Aster cordifolius), Symphyotrichum retroflexum (= Aster curtisii), Eurybia macrophylla (= Aster macrophyllus), Symphyotrichum undulatum (= Aster undulatus), Botrychium virginianum, Carex nigromarginata, Chimaphila maculata, Actaea racemosa (= Cimicifuga racemosa), Collinsonia canadensis, Coreopsis major, Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (= Cypripedium pubescens), Danthonia compressa, Danthonia spicata, Dioscorea villosa, Epigaea repens, Eupatorium album, Eupatorium purpureum, Galax urceolata, Galium triflorum, Houstonia purpurea (= Hedyotis purpurea), Hieracium venosum, Iris cristata, Maianthemum racemosum, Medeola virginiana, Melanthium parviflorum, Polystichum acrostichoides, Prenanthes altissima, Pycnanthemum incanum, Scutellaria ovata, Tephrosia virginiana, Uvularia perfoliata$, and ~Uvularia puberula$. Vines are common and species that may be present include ~Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Smilax$ spp., and ~Toxicodendron radicans$. In the Cumberland Plateau, forests in this alliance have replaced forests once dominated by ~Castanea dentata$ and often have chestnut sprouts in the understory. Forests in this alliance are known from moderately sheltered low ridges, flats, and valleys at lower elevations (762-1036 m; 2500-3400 feet) in the Blue Ridge and from upper slopes, draws, and gorge slopes in the Cumberland Plateau, and from upper to middle, dry-mesic slopes in the Piedmont. This alliance provisionally includes forests over limestone in the lower portions of the Ridge and Valley.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.1759.A249
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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