Name:
Pinus echinata / Quercus (falcata, nigra) / Vaccinium pallidum Forest
Reference:
Harrison, J. W. 2007. The natura...
Description:
This vegetation occurs in Maryland and Delaware on late Pleistocene-aged inland dunes and ridges in the Pocomoke River (MD) and Indian River (DE) watersheds. Inland dunes are best developed on the east sides of rivers and characterized by low-relief and a parabolic shape suggesting formation by northwest winds. Medium- and fine-grained sands of the Parsonsburg Sand Formation comprise these dunes and are prominent along terraces. Habitats are very dry and support pyrophytic mixed woodlands of pine, oak, ericaceous shrubs, and light-demanding xerophytes. Canopies are structurally open, often straddling conceptual boundaries between open forests and woodlands. Stands are often codominated by <i>Pinus echinata, Pinus taeda, Quercus falcata</i>, and <i>Quercus nigra</i>. Less frequent but still characteristic in over 50% of stands sampled are <i>Carya pallida, Quercus velutina, Diospyros virginiana</i>, and <i>Quercus stellata</i>. Most stands have a relatively open tall-shrub stratum with <i>Ilex opaca</i> most constant at low cover. The short-shrub stratum is best characterized as patchy and variable with <i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> often present and dominant. Other species that may constitute the short-shrub stratum include <i>Gaylussacia baccata, Gaylussacia frondosa, Vaccinium stamineum</i>, and vines of <i>Smilax glauca</i> and <i>Smilax rotundifolia</i>. Herbs are very sparse, often comprising less than 2-5% total cover. Taxa reported from stands include <i>Baptisia tinctoria, Cypripedium acaule, Carex tonsa var. tonsa, Carex nigromarginata, Carex albicans, Chimaphila maculata, Chimaphila umbellata, Clitoria mariana, Dichanthelium commutatum, Euphorbia ipecacuanhae, Melampyrum lineare, Mitchella repens</i>, and <i>Pteridium aquilinum</i>. Lichens of the genus <i>Cladonia</i> (including <i>Cladina</i>) and bryophytes such as <i>Leucobryum albidum</i> and <i>Polytrichum commune</i> are almost always a component of the ground layer.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.35993.CEGL006851
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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