Name:
Alnus serrulata - Xanthorhiza simplicissima Wet Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association includes shrublands on rocky or gravelly substrates along narrow river margins in the southeastern Blue Ridge Escarpment gorges, ranging elsewhere on the Southern Blue Ridge and into the Cumberland Plateau. Vegetation composition, density, and height vary with frequency of flooding, substrate, and soil depth. <i>Alnus serrulata</i> and <i>Xanthorhiza simplicissima</i> are common and characteristic but not always dominant. Other shrubs may include <i>Arundinaria gigantea, Diervilla sessilifolia, Salix nigra, Salix sericea, Rhododendron arborescens, Rhododendron viscosum, Rhododendron maximum, Rhododendron periclymenoides, Kalmia latifolia, Leucothoe fontanesiana, Cornus foemina, Cornus amomum, Physocarpus opulifolius, Itea virginica</i>, and <i>Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides</i>. Arborescent species that occur as tall shrubs (or as occasional trees, less than 10% cover) include <i>Acer rubrum, Carpinus caroliniana, Diospyros virginiana, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Platanus occidentalis</i>, and <i>Tsuga canadensis</i>. Open areas dominated by grasses and forbs include species such as <i>Agrostis perennans, Boykinia aconitifolia, Carex torta, Eutrochium fistulosum, Lycopus virginicus, Trautvetteria caroliniensis, Houstonia serpyllifolia, Impatiens capensis, Hypericum mutilum, Viola x primulifolia</i>, and <i>Holcus lanatus</i> (exotic). Adjacent alluvial forests in the Blue Ridge are dominated by <i>Tsuga canadensis, Liriodendron tulipifera, Betula lenta</i>, and, at lower elevations, below 610 m (2000 feet), <i>Platanus occidentalis</i> and <i>Liquidambar styraciflua</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:32753-{43C28DF3-B8C3-4B71-9090-F70A7A4F9845}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
21
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