Name:
Quercus prinus - (Quercus coccinea, Quercus velutina) Forest Alliance
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This alliance includes xeric oak forests strongly dominated by Quercus prinus or Quercus prinus with admixtures of Quercus coccinea and/or Quercus velutina, occurring in the southern and central Appalachians, Ridge and Valley, Cumberland Plateau, Piedmont, Interior Low Plateau, and possibly in the northern Appalachians. These forests occur on convex, upper slopes and ridgetops, south-facing slopes, over thin, rocky, infertile soils in the Appalachians, typically below 1066 m (3500 feet) where windthrow and ice damage are common natural disturbances. In the Piedmont these forests occur on low mountains and hills, on rocky, well-drained, acidic soils, sometimes associated with outcrops of quartzite or other resistant rock. In the Piedmont and Ridge and Valley, and in areas transitional to these provinces, Quercus stellata and Quercus marilandica may be canopy associates. Other canopy/subcanopy associates include Acer rubrum, Amelanchier arborea, Carya alba, Carya glabra, Cornus florida, Hamamelis virginiana, Magnolia fraseri, Nyssa sylvatica, Oxydendrum arboreum, Pinus rigida, Pinus strobus, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Sassafras albidum. In the Appalachians, a dense ericaceous shrub layer is characteristic, with species such as Gaylussacia baccata, Gaylussacia ursina, Kalmia latifolia, Leucothoe recurva, Rhododendron maximum, Vaccinium pallidum, and Vaccinium stamineum. In the upper Piedmont Kalmia latifolia, Vaccinium arboreum, and Vaccinium pallidum are common. In the montane distribution of this alliance, forests of this alliance have replaced forests formerly dominated or codominated by Castanea dentata, and chestnut sprouts are common in the understory. Other shrub species found in forests of this alliance include Chionanthus virginicus, Diospyros virginiana, Robinia hispida, Sassafras albidum, Styrax grandifolius, Symplocos tinctoria, Viburnum acerifolium, Viburnum prunifolium, and Viburnum rufidulum. Herbaceous cover is typically sparse in these dry, rocky forests and species vary with geographic location.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18559.QUERCUSPRINUSQU
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
