Name:
Fagus grandifolia / Carex pensylvanica - Carex brunnescens Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This association is often referred to as a classic "beech gap" forest and includes vegetation with short-statured canopies dominated by Fagus grandifolia, occurring over a dense, graminoid-dominated herbaceous stratum. This forest is thought to be limited to the range of Picea rubens and Abies fraseri (Whittaker 1956) and occurs on concave slopes, flat ridgetops, or upper south- to southwest-facing slopes, at elevations of greater than 1370 m (4500 feet) in the southern Blue Ridge. The majority of this community is distributed within the mountains of North Carolina, but it also occurs in Tennessee and possibly in Virginia. This community is a broad-leaved deciduous forest with a canopy dominated by stunted, gnarled Fagus grandifolia, often with lesser amounts of Halesia tetraptera var. monticola or Betula alleghaniensis. Typically, there are not significant understory or shrub strata, but scattered shrubs such as Hydrangea arborescens may occur. Herbaceous cover is dense, often approaching 100% coverage, and dominated by species of Carex (Carex aestivalis, Carex brunnescens, Carex debilis, Carex intumescens, Carex pensylvanica). Ferns and other herbs form 5-20% of the herbaceous cover and may include Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Anemone quinquefolia, Angelica triquinata, Arisaema triphyllum, Eurybia chlorolepis (= Aster chlorolepis), Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Dryopteris campyloptera, Epifagus virginiana, Erythronium umbilicatum ssp. monostolum, Impatiens pallida, Medeola virginiana, Oxalis montana, Laportea canadensis, Luzula acuminata, Phacelia bipinnatifida, Phacelia fimbriata, Poa alsodes, Prenanthes altissima, Prenanthes roanensis, Rugelia nudicaulis, Solidago glomerata, Stellaria corei, Thelypteris noveboracensis, and Trillium erectum. This community commonly occurs as small patches surrounded by other forest types, montane grasslands and shrublands.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.19298.FAGUSGRANDIFOLI
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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