Name:
Vittaria appalachiana - Heuchera parviflora var. parviflora - Houstonia serpyllifolia / Plagiochila spp. Cliff Vegetation
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This community includes herbaceous vegetation on rock substrates associated with the spray of cascades and waterfalls in the Southern Blue Ridge and adjacent portions of the Piedmont. It is found in southwestern North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, and northeastern Georgia, in the escarpment gorges of the Southern Blue Ridge and west of the escarpment in eastern Tennessee. It occurs on saturated rock outcrops, on nearly vertical rock surfaces and ledges, slopes, and crevices with shallow soils which are constantly saturated. Vegetative coverage is sparse to moderate with 50-75% unvegetated surface (bedrock) possible. Vegetation grows in cracks and on organic accumulations on ledges. It is characterized by a variable but unique assemblage of vascular herbs, algae, and bryophytes, many of which are endemic to this community. Composition of this community varies from location to location, in part due to its insular nature. Characteristic species include liverworts (<i>Bazzania denudata, Conocephalum conicum, Oxalis montana, Pellia epiphylla, Pellia neesiana, Plagiochila austini, Plagiochila caduciloba, Plagiochila retrorsa, Plagiochila</i> spp., <i>Plagiochila sullivantii, Riccardia multifida</i>); mosses (<i>Bryocrumia vivicolor, Dichodontium pellucidum, Fissidens osmundioides, Hyophila involuta, Mnium marginatum, Oncophorus raui, Plagiomnium ciliare, Plagiomnium carolinianum, Pseudotaxiphyllum distichaceum, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum quinquefarium, Thalictrum</i> spp., <i>Thamnobryum alleghaniense</i>); ferns (<i>Adiantum pedatum, Asplenium monanthes, Asplenium montanum, Asplenium trichomanes ssp. trichomanes, Cystopteris protrusa, Grammitis nimbata, Hymenophyllum tayloriae, Polypodium virginianum, Trichomanes boschianum, Trichomanes intricatum, Vittaria appalachiana</i>); and other vascular species (<i>Galax urceolata, Heuchera parviflora var. parviflora, Houstonia serpyllifolia, Huperzia porophila, Hydrocotyle americana, Impatiens capensis, Phegopteris connectilis, Saxifraga careyana, Saxifraga caroliniana, Carex biltmoreana</i>). This community varies in composition with no consistent dominant species. Nominal species are either constant or regional endemics. South and west of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, this association is less diverse than those occurrences in the central portion of the range.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33135-{4164F399-4245-4FC4-BA72-5BAACDED3757}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
70
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