Name:
Picea rubens / Rhododendron maximum - Kalmia latifolia / Eriophorum virginicum / Sphagnum spp. Forest
Reference:
Description:
This saturated acidic conifer woodland occurs in the Allegheny Mountains region of West Virginia and eastern Pennsylvania. It occurs in headwater basins at higher elevations, ranging between 860 and 1300 m in West Virginia examples. Microtopography is characterized by a mix of rounded peat hummocks and irregular moss-covered hummocks formed over tree roots, woody stem clusters, and decaying wood. Soils are moderately to very poorly drained peat, underlain by clay-rich deposits. The community is characterized by an open canopy of stunted, inundation-stressed trees with a diverse shrub and herb layer growing on hummock-forming bryophytes. The canopy is dominated by <i>Tsuga canadensis</i> and <i>Picea rubens</i>, occasionally including low cover of <i>Acer rubrum</i> or <i>Betula alleghaniensis var. alleghaniensis</i>. Canopy height is less than 15 m and sometimes as low as 5 m, essentially at the transition between woodland and shrubland physiognomy. The tall-shrub layer includes the canopy species and <i>Rhododendron maximum, Kalmia latifolia, Nemopanthus mucronatus</i>, and <i>Ilex verticillata</i>. Other species that occasionally occur with low cover in the tall-shrub layer include <i>Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Nemopanthus mucronatus, Vaccinium corymbosum, Ilex montana, Photinia pyrifolia, Acer rubrum, Sorbus americana, Amelanchier laevis</i>, and <i>Hamamelis virginiana</i>. The short-shrub layer is similar in composition to the tall-shrub layer. The herbaceous layer typically includes <i>Rubus hispidus, Osmunda cinnamomea var. cinnamomea, Solidago uliginosa</i>, and the regenerating canopy species. Species with lower cover often include <i>Carex trisperma var. trisperma, Drosera rotundifolia var. rotundifolia, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Carex gynandra, Maianthemum trifolium (= Smilacina trifolia), Glyceria melicaria, Eriophorum virginicum, Oclemena acuminata</i>, and <i>Juncus effusus</i>. Nonvascular plants are dominated by <i>Sphagnum</i> spp. (<i>Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum recurvum, Sphagnum magellanicum, Sphagnum affine, Sphagnum capillifolium (= var. capillifolium)</i>) and <i>Polytrichum commune</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.37503.CEGL006588
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
19
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