Name:
Pellaea atropurpurea Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in the temperate regions of the northeastern United States, where weathering of calcium-bearing rock creates at least locally calcareous conditions. The vertical cliffs may be composed of alkaline bedrock such as limestone or dolomite, but this vegetation can also be found on cliffs where the matrix rock is acidic (e.g., schists or even granite), either where local inclusions weather to more nutrient-rich conditions or where fractures conduct more nutrient-rich seepage waters. These cliffs are generally mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation. The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and contains scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. (Often only a few of the typical plants listed below will be at any one site.) Typical woody plants include Juniperus virginiana, Thuja occidentalis, Clematis occidentalis, and Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda. Diagnostic ferns are Pellaea atropurpurea, Pellaea glabella, Cryptogramma stelleri, Woodsia obtusa, and Asplenium ruta-muraria. Additional ferns, that may grow on other types of cliffs as well include Asplenium trichomanes, Woodsia ilvensis, Cystopteris bulbifera, Cystopteris fragilis, and Cystopteris tenuis. Small herbs, such as Carex eburnea, Aquilegia canadensis, Arabis laevigata, Arabis hirsuta, Aureolaria pedicularia, Campanula rotundifolia, Epilobium ciliatum, and Saxifraga virginiensis, are typical. They bryoid flora may be quite diverse, with several species restricted to calcareous cliffs, but is not well-documented. This association differs from Carex scirpoidea Alkaline Cliff Sparse Vegetation (CEGL006526), also characterized by calciphilic plants, by the absence of more boreal species such as Picea rubens, Betula papyrifera, Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia (= Betula cordifolia), and Dryopteris fragrans; it differs from temperate acidic cliffs in the presence of calciphiles.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.19012.PELLAEAATROPURP
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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