Name:
Tsuga canadensis - Fagus grandifolia - Quercus (montana, alba) Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association is known from steep, north-facing sites along rivers and large streams in the Piedmont, Central Appalachians, and rarely the Inner Coastal Plain, of Virginia and Maryland. It typically occurs on steep, sheltered bluffs, slopes, and ravines with northerly aspects and infertile soils weathered from acidic or intermediate metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Composition is usually that of a mixed forest, with overstory codominance by <i>Tsuga canadensis</i>, which is most abundant, and several hardwoods, most frequently <i>Fagus grandifolia, Quercus alba</i>, and/or <i>Quercus montana</i>. <i>Tsuga canadensis, Fagus grandifolia</i>, and <i>Quercus montana</i> are most constant, with <i>Tsuga</i> and <i>Fagus</i> typically having high cover in the understory and shrub, as well as overstory layers. <i>Liriodendron tulipifera, Quercus rubra, Acer rubrum</i>, and <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i> are constant but minor overstory associates. <i>Acer rubrum</i> and <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i> also occur commonly in the understory. <i>Quercus alba</i> and <i>Betula lenta</i> are less constant in the overstory mixtures, but each is important in a subset of stands. True shrubs are often sparse but frequently include <i>Viburnum acerifolium, Kalmia latifolia, Hamamelis virginiana, Rhododendron periclymenoides</i>, and scrambling vines of <i>Smilax rotundifolia</i>. The herb layer is generally sparse to very sparse, but a number of species frequently occur at low cover, including <i>Eurybia divaricata, Polystichum acrostichoides, Medeola virginiana, Dioscorea quaternata, Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Goodyera pubescens</i>, and <i>Carex digitalis</i>. Less constant herbs that are occasionally important include <i>Hexastylis virginica, Epigaea repens, Dryopteris marginalis, Polypodium virginianum</i>, and <i>Dennstaedtia punctilobula</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35112-{E0FFEE56-4A37-4CE6-8ADE-A3C1CBB52A56}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
20
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