Name:
Quercus prinus - Quercus spp. / Vaccinium arboreum - (Kalmia latifolia, Styrax grandifolius) Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This community occurs over shallow, rocky soils on narrow ridgetops, upper slopes, and midslopes of south- to southwest-facing ridges in the Interior Low Plateau and nearby provinces such as the Southern Cumberlands and adjacent Southern Ridge and Valley. It may also occur in the Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain. This is the dominant forest type found on narrow ridges of the dissected western escarpment of the Eastern Highland Rim of Tennessee at about 350 m (1100 feet) elevation. These forests have canopies which are strongly dominated by <i>Quercus prinus</i>, with <i>Quercus coccinea</i> and/or <i>Quercus velutina</i>, and with lesser amounts of <i>Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, Nyssa sylvatica, Acer rubrum var. rubrum</i>, and <i>Carya alba</i>. The understory may contain <i>Oxydendrum arboreum, Fagus grandifolia, Sassafras albidum, Aralia spinosa</i>, and/or <i>Cornus florida</i>. The shrub stratum may be dense to sparse, partly dominated by ericaceous species. Typical shrub species can include <i>Viburnum acerifolium, Hypericum frondosum, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium corymbosum</i>, and <i>Gaylussacia baccata</i>. Some examples will contain patches of <i>Kalmia latifolia</i>, or <i>Styrax grandifolius</i> may replace <i>Viburnum acerifolium</i> in some locales. <i>Smilax glauca</i> and <i>Smilax rotundifolia</i> are typically present. <i>Castanea dentata</i> may occur as root sprouts, and decaying stumps may still be evident. Scattered individuals of <i>Pinus echinata</i> or <i>Pinus virginiana</i> may be present in the subcanopy of some examples. The herb layer is typically sparse and includes subshrubs such as <i>Epigaea repens</i> and <i>Chimaphila maculata</i>. Other common species may include <i>Tipularia discolor, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Cypripedium acaule, Danthonia spicata, Epigaea repens, Helianthus divaricatus, Helianthus hirsutus, Dichanthelium dichotomum (= Panicum dichotomum)</i>, and <i>Polystichum acrostichoides</i>. Mats of mosses may cover the ground surface where herbaceous cover and leaf litter are sparse.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.34983.CEGL007700
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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