Name:
Pinus pungens - (Pinus rigida) Woodland Alliance
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This alliance includes woodland vegetation in the southern and central Appalachians, dominated or codominated by Pinus pungens, with or without some admixture of Pinus rigida and/or Pinus virginiana. This alliance also includes woodlands dominated by Pinus rigida that occur within the geographic area where Pinus pungens occurs as a canopy dominant. Common canopy and subcanopy associates include Quercus prinus, Quercus coccinea, Castanea dentata, Nyssa sylvatica, Acer rubrum, and Oxydendrum arboreum. Typical shrubs include Gaylussacia baccata, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium simulatum, Gaylussacia ursina, Rhododendron maximum, Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendron carolinianum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Leucothoe recurva, and Leiophyllum buxifolium. In the central Appalachians and in the Virginia portion of the Southern Blue Ridge, Quercus ilicifolia is a characteristic shrub. Herbaceous species composition will vary within the range of this alliance. Species commonly found in the sparse herb stratum include Galax urceolata, Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum, Xerophyllum asphodeloides, Fothergilla major, Comptonia peregrina, and the subshrubs Gaultheria procumbens, and Epigaea repens. These woodlands typically occur at elevations from 760-1220 m (2500-4000 feet), on xeric ridges and exposed, steep side-slopes over thin, excessively drained, nutrient-poor soils and are often associated with rock outcroppings. Without periodic fire, these woodlands will gradually succeed into forests dominated by Quercus prinus and Quercus coccinea, except on the most extreme sites, where this vegetation is self-perpetuating. The primary range of associations in this alliance is the Appalachian Mountains (within the range of Pinus pungens), although the nominal species, Pinus pungens, has insular occurrences in the Upper Piedmont.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.20227.PINUSPUNGENSPIN
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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