Name:
Fagus grandifolia - Quercus alba / Kalmia latifolia - (Rhododendron catawbiense) / Galax urceolata Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association includes heath bluffs on steep north-facing slopes in the lower Piedmont and Inner Coastal Plain of Virginia, the Carolinas, and other southeastern states. Disjunct examples of this type are found in northern Alabama and may also occur in Georgia. Generally, these communities occur in areas of thin and rocky soils but may also occur in areas of soft material exposed by undercutting by a stream. These sites experience a combination of dry conditions caused by shallow, well-drained soils and cool, moist microclimates caused by northern aspects. Sites may be heterogeneous with dry microsites intermixed with wet seepage areas. These communities are dominated by a dense shrub layer of <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> (most common), <i>Rhododendron catawbiense</i> or <i>Rhododendron maximum</i>. Other shrubs may include <i>Hamamelis virginiana, Symplocos tinctoria</i>, and <i>Vaccinium</i> spp. The tree canopy is open to very sparse, with trees such as <i>Fagus grandifolia, Quercus alba, Quercus montana, Pinus virginiana, Pinus taeda, Oxydendrum arboreum, Acer rubrum</i>, and <i>Amelanchier arborea</i> characteristic. A variety of trees from surrounding areas may also be present. Herbs are generally sparse under the shrubs, with acid-loving species, such as <i>Galax urceolata, Epigaea repens, Gaultheria procumbens, Chimaphila maculata, Hexastylis minor</i>, and <i>Mitchella repens</i>, typical. These communities generally border a floodplain forest or a stream channel and may grade to such communities through a talus slope at the base. These communities are distinguished by having an open tree canopy and closed, often dense, shrub layer. There is little open substrate for rock outcrop or weedy species.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33324-{7FD45324-B1C4-4E24-B6F1-0C3C3E073ADD}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
33
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