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Tsuga caroliniana Forest Alliance | Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
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Name: Tsuga caroliniana Forest Alliance
Reference: Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description: Stands of this alliance are forests with dense to open canopies dominated by Tsuga caroliniana. Trees may be wind-shorn, gnarled and twisted in exposed situations. Occurrences in gorges sometimes have a substantial admixture of Tsuga canadensis. Other associated species may include Quercus prinus, Quercus rubra, Pinus rigida, Pinus virginiana, and Pinus pungens. The shrub stratum is dense and dominated by ericaceous species, such as Rhododendron maximum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Rhododendron carolinianum, Kalmia latifolia, Gaylussacia spp., and Vaccinium spp. The herbaceous stratum is sparse, with typical species including Gaultheria procumbens, Mitchella repens, Chimaphila maculata, Galax urceolata, and Xerophyllum asphodeloides. Lichens, including Cladina rangiferina and Cladina subtenuis, can be abundant. Forests in this alliance occur mostly on cliffs, rocky slopes and ridges, and less commonly on more gentle slopes and flat areas in valleys. Soils are usually nutrient-poor and rocky, with much exposed rock surface. Occurrences of these forests tend to be small and have distinct boundaries. Tsuga caroliniana is an Appalachian endemic with a very limited range, scattered in the Southern Blue Ridge and occasional in the Piedmont and Ridge and Valley. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.19097.TSUGACAROLINIAN
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 26-Nov-1997 to: 01-May-2019
     
  • status: accepted
  • This Community's Level: Alliance
  • This Community's Children: [none]
Names:   Scientific: Tsuga caroliniana Forest Alliance
  Translated: Carolina Hemlock Forest Alliance
  UID: HIGHER_CLASS_UNIT.2.125886 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: A.144