Name:
Quercus prinus - (Quercus rubra) - Carya spp. / Oxydendrum arboreum - Cornus florida Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This community is known from low to intermediate elevations of the Southern Blue Ridge escarpment, the Great Smoky Mountains, Piedmont transition areas, into the Southern Ridge and Valley, and in the Cumberlands in southern West Virginia. It occurs on relatively exposed landforms below 1000 m (3280 feet) elevation (220-1000 m [700-3280 feet]), on nearly level to steep, convex, middle to upper slopes, ridges, and plateaus, with mostly northwestern to southeastern aspects. These are forests characterized by canopies dominated by <i>Quercus</i> and <i>Carya</i> species that do not have a well-developed heath shrub layer. <i>Acer rubrum</i> and <i>Liriodendron tulipifera</i> may have significant coverage, apparently related to logging history. The predominant oaks and hickories in the canopy are <i>Quercus prinus, Carya glabra, Carya alba, Carya ovata, Quercus coccinea, Quercus velutina, Quercus alba</i>, and <i>Quercus rubra</i>. Additional canopy and subcanopy species can include <i>Nyssa sylvatica, Magnolia fraseri, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, Fagus grandifolia, Ilex opaca</i>, and <i>Oxydendrum arboreum</i>. In addition, <i>Cornus florida</i> is characteristic and may be dominant in the subcanopy and tall-shrub layers; other tall-shrub species include <i>Magnolia fraseri, Hamamelis virginiana</i>, and <i>Sassafras albidum</i>. <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> or <i>Rhododendron maximum</i> may be present but only at very low cover. The short-shrub stratum is sparse (up to 20% cover), with no clear dominant. Some typical shrub species include <i>Vaccinium pallidum, Viburnum acerifolium</i>, and (in the central and southern portions of the type's range) <i>Gaylussacia ursina, Hydrangea arborescens</i>, and <i>Hydrangea radiata</i>. Common vines are <i>Smilax rotundifolia, Smilax glauca, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Toxicodendron radicans, Vitis aestivalis, Vitis rotundifolia</i>, and <i>Vitis vulpina</i>. Herb cover is sparse to moderate; diversity and species composition vary among occurrences. Some of the more typical herb species include <i>Eurybia divaricata, Dioscorea quaternata, Maianthemum racemosum, Polystichum acrostichoides, Solidago caesia, Uvularia perfoliata</i>, and <i>Uvularia puberula</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.35242.CEGL007267
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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