Name:
Carya glabra - Quercus (rubra, prinus) - Fraxinus americana / Viburnum rafinesquianum / Piptochaetium avenaceum Forest
Reference:
Lea, C. 2000. Plant communities ...
Description:
This dry oak-hickory forest occurs on elevated bedrock terraces above the Potomac River for several miles below Great Falls. These level to gently sloping metamorphic bedrock terraces are 12-15 m (40-50 feet) above the river level and are subject to very rare (30- to 85-year) flood events. The community is a stunted forest dominated by <i>Carya glabra, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra</i>, and <i>Quercus prinus</i> occurring with <i>Fraxinus americana</i>. Other characteristic woody species include <i>Juniperus virginiana, Ostrya virginiana, Chionanthus virginicus, Viburnum rafinesquianum, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium pallidum</i>, and <i>Ptelea trifoliata</i>. The herbaceous layer is dense to moderately dense, species-rich, and usually dominated by grasses and sedges, especially <i>Piptochaetium avenaceum, Danthonia spicata</i>, and <i>Carex albicans var. albicans</i>. Spring ephemerals, such as <i>Cardamine angustata (= Dentaria heterophylla), Erythronium americanum, Claytonia virginica, Corydalis flavula</i>, and <i>Phacelia dubia</i>, are frequent, while lithophytes on and around rock outcrops include <i>Arabis lyrata, Cardamine parviflora, Scutellaria saxatilis</i>, and <i>Asplenium platyneuron</i>. The introduced invasive plants <i>Microstegium vimineum, Vinca minor, Alliaria petiolata</i>, and <i>Lonicera japonica</i> are problematic in most stands of the type. This community is distinguish by its unique environmental setting on ancient river terraces, its species composition indicative of high base substrate, and its high species richness, with values frequently ranging between 70 and 100 species per 400 square meters.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.37259.CEGL006209
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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