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Pinus pungens - Pinus rigida - (Quercus prinus) / Kalmia latifolia - Vaccinium pallidum Woodland | Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
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Name: Pinus pungens - Pinus rigida - (Quercus prinus) / Kalmia latifolia - Vaccinium pallidum Woodland
Reference: Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description: This association includes mostly evergreen woodlands dominated by <i>Pinus pungens</i> and/or <i>Pinus rigida</i>, occurring over a dense ericaceous shrub stratum, on sharp ridges, mostly above 610 m (2000 feet) elevation in the Southern Blue Ridge. This type is also found in limited areas of the inner Piedmont and Cumberland Mountains. This woodland occurs across a wide elevational range (485-1220 m [1600-4000 feet]), on exposed ridges and upper slopes with southerly and westerly exposures, over thin, excessively drained, nutrient-poor soils, and can be associated with rock outcroppings. Canopy coverage can often approach that of a forest, especially in areas where fire has been excluded and deciduous species have significant coverage. Deciduous species that can be important, particularly in the subcanopy, include <i>Quercus prinus, Quercus coccinea, Quercus stellata, Nyssa sylvatica, Acer rubrum</i>, and <i>Oxydendrum arboreum</i>. <i>Pinus virginiana, Pinus echinata</i>, and <i>Pinus strobus</i> can have high coverage and even codominate on some sites. The shrub stratum is dominated by ericaceous species, typically <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> and <i>Leucothoe recurva</i> in the tall-shrub stratum and <i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> as a low shrub. Other shrub species vary with location but include <i>Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium simulatum, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium hirsutum, Vaccinium corymbosum, Rhododendron maximum, Rhododendron minus, Gaylussacia ursina, Gaylussacia baccata, Buckleya distichophylla, Pyrularia pubera</i>, and <i>Fothergilla major</i>. Species commonly found in the sparse herb stratum include <i>Chimaphila maculata, Galax urceolata, Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum, Xerophyllum asphodeloides, Chamaelirium luteum, Comptonia peregrina, Leiophyllum buxifolium, Gaultheria procumbens, Iris verna, Dichanthelium</i> spp., and <i>Epigaea repens</i>, although herbaceous species composition will vary within the range of this community. <i>Smilax glauca</i> is a common vine. Without periodic fire, this community will gradually succeed into forests dominated by <i>Acer rubrum</i> or <i>Quercus prinus</i> and <i>Quercus coccinea</i>, except on the most extreme sites, where this vegetation is self-perpetuating. It is thought that woodlands dominated by <i>Pinus pungens</i> are associated with more xeric conditions than woodlands dominated by <i>Pinus pungens</i> in combination with other tree species. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.35788.CEGL007097
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 17-Nov-2014 to: 01-May-2019
     
  • status: accepted
  • This Community's Level: association
  • This Community's Children: [none]
Names:   Common: Blue Ridge Table Mountain Pine - Pitch Pine Woodland (Typic Type)
  Translated: Table Mountain Pine - Pitch Pine - (Chestnut Oak) / Mountain Laurel - Blue Ridge Blueberry Woodland
  Scientific: Pinus pungens - Pinus rigida - (Quercus prinus) / Kalmia latifolia - Vaccinium pallidum Woodland
  Code: CEGL007097
  UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684865 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo