Name:
Bigelowia nuttallii - Coreopsis pulchra - Liatris microcephala Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Southeastern Ecology Working Gro...
Description:
This community is characteristic of shallow soils associated with sandstone outcrops on Lookout and Sand mountains in northeastern Alabama, ranging sporadically southwestward to the vicinity of Birmingham. Occurrences of this community type can attain dimensions as large as 4-5 acres. Typically, a scattering of small trees and shrubs, including <i>Pinus virginiana, Acer rubrum, Chionanthus virginicus, Kalmia latifolia, Vaccinium arboreum</i>, and <i>Quercus</i> spp., inhabit deeper soils that may have accumulated in crevices. The herbaceous component is represented by a high diversity of graminoids and forbs, with the following species being typical: <i>Bigelowia nuttallii, Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon ternarius, Aristida longispica, Panicum virgatum, Tephrosia virginiana, Hypericum hypericoides, Agalinis tenuifolia, Castilleja coccinea, Symphyotrichum patens (= Aster patens), Symphyotrichum concolor (= Aster concolor), Coreopsis major, Coreopsis pulchra, Helianthus divaricatus, Liatris microcephala, Pityopsis graminifolia</i>, and <i>Solidago erecta (= Solidago speciosa var. erecta)</i>. Several regional endemics and rare species are restricted to this community, including <i>Allium speculae, Coreopsis pulchra, Cuscuta harperi, Diervilla rivularis, Helianthus longifolius, Quercus boyntonii, Schoenolirion wrightii</i>, and <i>Talinum mengesii</i>. This community occurs in Jackson, DeKalb, Cherokee, Marshall, and Etowah counties, Alabama. In a southern outlier of this type (Jefferson County, Alabama, in the vicinity of Birmingham), herbaceous species include <i>Bigelowia nudata, Hypericum gentianoides, Liatris microcephala, Talinum mengesii, Schizachyrium scoparium, Opuntia humifusa, Seymeria cassioides, Cuscuta harperi, Pteridium aquilinum</i>, and <i>Solidago erecta (= Solidago speciosa var. erecta)</i>. The scattered woody species include <i>Pinus virginiana, Pinus palustris, Quercus falcata, Quercus georgiana, Ulmus alata, Amelanchier arborea, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium elliottii</i>, and the woody vines <i>Smilax bona-nox, Gelsemium sempervirens</i>, and <i>Vitis rotundifolia</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.36201.CEGL004622
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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