Name:
Rhododendron catawbiense Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This evergreen shrubland occurs at the highest elevations, typically 1500-1980 m (5000-6500 feet), in the southern Appalachian Mountains on steep, exposed slopes, ridges, and rock outcrops. It occurs primarily in the northern portion of the Southern Appalachians, north of the Asheville Basin, in mountain ranges lacking <i>Pieris floribunda</i> and <i>Rhododendron carolinianum</i>. Greater than 75% of the shrub cover is composed of evergreen species, and the predominant shrub is <i>Rhododendron catawbiense</i>. Scattered trees contribute less than 1% cover, typically <i>Aronia melanocarpa, Abies fraseri</i>, and <i>Picea rubens</i>. Small openings in the shrub canopy are dominated by rock or herbs. Herb cover beneath the shrub canopy is absent or very sparse (<5%) and may include <i>Gaultheria procumbens, Galax urceolata, Epigaea repens, Medeola virginiana, Trillium undulatum, Melampyrum lineare, Dryopteris campyloptera, Houstonia serpyllifolia, Viola</i> spp., and <i>Carex debilis var. rudgei</i>. Mosses may be locally dominant at the base of <i>Rhododendron</i> clumps, often <i>Polytrichum commune</i> or bryophytes from adjacent <i>Picea - Abies</i> communities. This community can result from secondary succession after fire or logging or can occur as a topo-edaphic climax on steep, exposed sites. Occurrences may range in size from 0.5-200 hectares. This community can grade into or occur adjacent to high-elevation rock outcrop communities, montane grass-dominated communities, or forests dominated by <i>Picea rubens, Abies fraseri</i>, and northern hardwood species such as <i>Fagus grandifolia, Acer saccharum</i>, and <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:32678-{498CD8AB-564D-4A30-AEC0-57AAFD97E569}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
25
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