Name:
Carpinus caroliniana - Ilex decidua Shrubland
Reference:
Lea, C. 2000. Plant communities ...
Description:
This association has been documented only in the eastern Piedmont region of Maryland and Virginia, where it is restricted to high-gradient stretches of the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. It occupies protected areas (eroding draws, ravines, downstream sides of large outcrops) on the flanks of rocky bluffs and bedrock terraces that are periodically scoured by powerful floods, and occasionally occurs on sand- and boulder-covered flats on the active channel shelf. The vegetation is characterized by partially open to dense thickets of shrubs and shrubby trees generally less than 6 m tall. The species richness of the woody layers is high. <i>Carpinus caroliniana</i> and <i>Ilex decidua</i> are both present and usually codominant. <i>Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Fraxinus americana, Robinia pseudoacacia, Diospyros virginiana, Viburnum prunifolium, Hypericum prolificum, Quercus rubra</i>, and <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i> are also frequent. Less constant shrubs and small trees that occasionally achieve moderate cover include <i>Ilex verticillata, Ostrya virginiana, Physocarpus opulifolius</i>, and <i>Viburnum dentatum</i>. Vines are common, with <i>Campsis radicans, Toxicodendron radicans</i>, and/or <i>Parthenocissus quinquefolia</i> often present. The herbaceous layer is species-rich and variable, with a more diverse assemblage of species present at low cover where soils are shallow over rocks, and dominance by a more limited number of species, particularly <i>Chasmanthium latifolium, Dichanthelium clandestinum, Elymus virginicus</i>, and <i>Cerastium arvense</i>, where soils are deep. <i>Lonicera japonica</i>, as well as the exotic herbs <i>Saponaria officinalis</i> and <i>Lespedeza cuneata</i>, can be invasive.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.37258.CEGL006484
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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