Name:
Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis - Prunus serotina / Rhododendron maximum Forest
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This hemlock forest of the central Appalachian Mountains and High Allegheny Plateau occurs on acidic, mesic sandy loams and sands of glacial till or sandstone, in rocky ravines, or moderately steep slopes of any aspect, on stream terraces, or occasionally on flats. This is a closed-canopy, late-successional, mixed forest dominated by <i>Tsuga canadensis</i> with associated deciduous canopy species, including <i>Acer saccharum, Prunus serotina, Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia</i>, and (in the southern portion of the type's range) <i>Liriodendron tulipifera</i> and/or <i>Magnolia acuminata</i>. Other associates include <i>Acer rubrum, Betula lenta, Carya</i> spp., <i>Pinus strobus, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Ulmus americana</i>, and <i>Ostrya virginiana</i>. The shrub layer varies in cover and composition. It is often a patchy but may have locally dense cover of <i>Rhododendron maximum</i>, or it may consist of some mixture of <i>Corylus cornuta, Diervilla lonicera, Hamamelis virginiana, Lindera benzoin, Viburnum lantanoides</i>, and ericaceous species <i>Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendron maximum</i>, and <i>Vaccinium pallidum</i>. The herbaceous layer typically includes ferns such as <i>Dryopteris intermedia, Dryopteris carthusiana, Thelypteris noveboracensis</i>, and <i>Dennstaedtia punctilobula</i>. Forb composition is variable and may include <i>Anemone quinquefolia, Cornus canadensis, Cardamine diphylla, Eurybia divaricata (= Aster divaricatus), Maianthemum canadense, Medeola virginiana, Mitchella repens, Oxalis montana, Trientalis borealis, Trillium grandiflorum, Trillium erectum</i>, and <i>Viola</i> spp. <i>Rhododendron maximum, Sambucus racemosa (= Sambucus pubens)</i>, and the abundance of <i>Prunus serotina</i> in the canopy differentiate this from other associations of this alliance.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.31198.CEGL006206
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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