Name:
Pinus echinata - Quercus (prinus, falcata) / Oxydendrum arboreum / Vaccinium pallidum Forest
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This association includes crests of low-elevation slopes and ridges on the fringes of the Southern Blue Ridge, extending into the southern Ridge and Valley and Cumberland Plateau, where <i>Pinus echinata</i> and dry-site oaks characteristic of lower elevations codominate in association with other Appalachian flora. This forest is known from the southern Blue Ridge Escarpment of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, particularly in the Blue Ridge/Piedmont transition, where it occurs on exposed, rocky ridges and upper, convex slopes, at elevations at or below 670 m (2200 feet). It also extends into the southern Ridge and Valley and Cumberland Plateau, but more information is needed to characterize the variation in that part of the range. This community may occur in slightly more protected situations in the hotter Piedmont ecoregion. Canopies are codominated by <i>Pinus echinata</i> and combinations of dry-site oaks that may include <i>Quercus falcata, Quercus coccinea, Quercus prinus, Quercus stellata</i>, and <i>Quercus velutina</i>. On rocky sites, canopies may be slightly stunted. Mid-canopy trees can be scattered or form a well-developed subcanopy. Common subcanopy trees can include <i>Oxydendrum arboreum, Ilex opaca var. opaca, Cornus florida, Quercus marilandica, Quercus stellata</i>, and <i>Carya pallida</i>. The shrub stratum varies in composition and density but is typically dominated by <i>Vaccinium pallidum</i>. Other shrubs may include <i>Vaccinium stamineum, Gaylussacia ursina, Gaylussacia baccata, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Rhododendron minus, Castanea pumila</i>, and <i>Kalmia latifolia</i>. On some sites <i>Symplocos tinctoria</i> can be important. <i>Vitis rotundifolia</i> and <i>Smilax glauca</i> are common vines. The herb stratum is poorly developed with scattered species such as <i>Chimaphila maculata, Iris verna, Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum, Goodyera pubescens, Hexastylis arifolia, Coreopsis major (= var. rigida), Tipularia discolor, Schizachyrium scoparium, Pityopsis graminifolia var. latifolia, Tephrosia virginiana, Silphium compositum, Dichanthelium</i> spp., and <i>Galax urceolata</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.36031.CEGL007493
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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