Name:
Rhododendron catawbiense - Pieris floribunda Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association comprises dense, montane shrub thickets dominated by <i>Rhododendron catawbiense</i> and <i>Pieris floribunda</i>, typically at elevations over 1670 m (5500 feet), on steep, rocky, dry, southwestern to southeastern exposures. This shrubland does not occur north of the Asheville Basin and is known from occurrences in Balsam Mountain (Devil's Courthouse, Silvermine Bald, Shining Rock, Tanasee Bald, Mt. Pisgah). Other shrub species can include <i>Aronia melanocarpa, Kalmia latifolia, Amelanchier laevis, Ilex montana, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Prunus serotina, Sorbus americana, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium pallidum</i>, and <i>Vaccinium erythrocarpum</i>. Herb cover is sparse beneath the dense shrub canopy but may include such species as <i>Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Oclemena acuminata, Eurybia chlorolepis, Eurybia macrophylla, Carex pensylvanica, Galax urceolata, Listera smallii</i>, and <i>Prenanthes</i> sp. This community occurs adjacent to spruce - fir and Northern hardwood forests and montane grasslands dominated by <i>Danthonia compressa</i> and <i>Carex pensylvanica</i>. This community typically is of shorter stature on the most exposed sites over 1830 m (6000 feet) elevation.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33302-{CB2FF9FB-F5A0-4DB5-B7F3-3F38E55A87C0}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
5
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