Name:
A.521
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
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.2166.A521
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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