Name:
Polypodium (virginianum, appalachianum) Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in the spruce-fir forest region of northern New England and New York, and adjacent Canadian provinces. The setting is dry vertical exposures of resistant acidic bedrock such as granite, quartzite, sandstone or schist, with little or no soil development. These cliffs are mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation. The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and can vary from well-vegetated to barren across the cliff face. The association presents itself as a mixture of open rock, scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. Typical woody species include Picea rubens, Abies balsamea, Sorbus decora, Sorbus americana, Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera, Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia, Diervilla lonicera, Ribes triste, Acer rubrum, Acer spicatum, and Alnus viridis. The herbaceous component may feature graminoids such as Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, or Carex brunnescens; wiry ferns, such as Polypodium virginianum, Polypodium appalachianum, Cystopteris fragilis, Dryopteris marginalis, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, and Woodsia ilvensis; and herbs, such as Solidago simplex var. randii, Campanula rotundifolia, and Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (= Potentilla tridentata). Paronychia argyrocoma occurs on some cliffs. Bryoids are not well documented, but the lichen flora often includes Umbilicaria spp. This association differs from other northeastern cliff vegetation types by the absence of calciphiles and the characteristically sub-boreal flora, lacking Quercus spp. and Juniperus virginiana, and with little or no Tsuga canadensis. Cliffs intermediate between the acidic versus calcareous substrate and sub-boreal versus temperate setting do occur.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.24020.POLYPODIUMVIRGI
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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