Name:
Pinus (pungens, rigida) - Quercus montana / (Quercus ilicifolia) / Gaylussacia baccata Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association represents mixed woodlands occupying xeric, convex, often rocky south- and west-facing slopes, ridge spurs, crests, and clifftops in the Central Appalachians and peripherally in the Piedmont and Southern Blue Ridge. Stands occur at elevations from 275 to 1200 m (900-4000 feet) on various substrates but most commonly on acidic, sedimentary and metasedimentary substrates (e.g., quartzites, sandstones, and shales). Soils are very infertile, shallow, and droughty. A thick, poorly decomposed duff layer, along with dead wood and highly volatile ericaceous shrubs, create a strongly fire-prone habitat. <i>Pinus pungens</i> and <i>Pinus rigida</i>, individually or together, codominate the canopy with <i>Quercus montana</i>. The physiognomy of this community can approach that of a closed-canopy forest in some situations as a result of fire exclusion. Scattered canopy and subcanopy associates may include <i>Quercus coccinea, Quercus rubra, Quercus marilandica, Pinus virginiana, Castanea dentata, Acer rubrum, Sassafras albidum, Nyssa sylvatica</i>, and <i>Amelanchier arborea</i>. <i>Quercus ilicifolia</i> often dominates a moderately open to very dense tall-shrub layer, while variable combinations of <i>Kalmia latifolia, Gaylussacia baccata, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium angustifolium, Vaccinium stamineum, Pieris floribunda, Rhododendron catawbiense</i>, and other ericads form a generally dense low-shrub layer. <i>Smilax rotundifolia</i> and <i>Smilax glauca</i> may be prominent climbers among the shrubs. Herbaceous species, often very sparse, are rooted in small openings among the shrubs, on rocks, and in disturbed areas where mineral soil is exposed. Typical herbs and subshrubs include <i>Epigaea repens, Gaultheria procumbens, Xerophyllum asphodeloides, Iris verna, Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum, Melampyrum lineare var. latifolium, Stenanthium gramineum var. micranthum, Uvularia puberula, Lycopodium tristachyum, Aralia hispida</i> (usually on outcrops), and <i>Carex tonsa</i>. Periodic fire is an important ecological process that provides opportunities for the regeneration of both canopy pines and less competitive herbaceous species, while setting back successional encroachment of xeric oaks. On many sites (e.g., clifftops, quartzite ledges), the vegetation is self-perpetuating due to extreme edaphic conditions.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33764-{AC7821FD-6FCB-40C9-95E5-56EA92F2A02B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
169
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