Name:
Selaginella tortipila - Krigia montana - Houstonia longifolia Rocky Grassland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association is found on granitic exfoliation domes and rock faces at intermediate to high elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge of the Carolinas and Georgia. This association occurs on exposed, often south-facing sites, with smooth, exfoliation surfaces and few cracks or crevices for soil accumulation. These rock surfaces are typically steep to vertical but may include flat areas. This association typically occurs at elevations from 1067 to 1372 m (3500-4500 feet) but may be found at slightly higher or lower elevations. This community occurs in large patches, ranging in size from 10 to over 100 acres, with vegetation strongly dominated by shallow-soil herb mats over solid rock. These shallow mats can have 10-90% coverage and are interspersed with areas of bare rock, patches of lichens (e.g., <i>Cladonia</i> spp., <i>Cladonia furcata</i>), and mosses (e.g., <i>Grimmia laevigata</i>). Woody species from adjacent woodlands and shrublands may be scattered components, rooted in deeper soil pockets, older stable vegetation mats, and around the outcrop margins. <i>Selaginella tortipila</i> is almost always a major dominant of the vegetation mats. Other characteristic herbaceous species are <i>Hypericum buckleii, Packera millefolium, Carex biltmoreana, Carex umbellata, Solidago simulans, Danthonia epilis, Danthonia compressa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Schizachyrium scoparium, Krigia montana, Trichophorum cespitosum, Houstonia longifolia</i>, and <i>Saxifraga michauxii</i>. Woody species can include <i>Leiophyllum buxifolium, Quercus rubra, Pinus virginiana, Pinus rigida, Kalmia latifolia, Vaccinium</i> spp., <i>Gaylussacia baccata, Rhododendron catawbiense, Kalmia latifolia</i>, and <i>Rhododendron carolinianum</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33116-{46E6EBC0-991F-40BE-8604-984F03F69EED}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
53
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