Name:
Polypodium (virginianum, appalachianum) Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in the spruce-fir forest region of northern New England and New York, and adjacent Canadian provinces. The setting is dry vertical exposures of resistant acidic bedrock such as granite, quartzite, sandstone or schist, with little or no soil development. These cliffs are mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation. The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and can vary from well-vegetated to barren across the cliff face. The association presents itself as a mixture of open rock, scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. Typical woody species include <i>Picea rubens, Abies balsamea, Sorbus decora, Sorbus americana, Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera, Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia, Diervilla lonicera, Ribes triste, Acer rubrum, Acer spicatum</i>, and <i>Alnus viridis</i>. The herbaceous component may feature graminoids such as <i>Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata</i>, or <i>Carex brunnescens</i>; wiry ferns, such as <i>Polypodium virginianum, Polypodium appalachianum, Cystopteris fragilis, Dryopteris marginalis, Dennstaedtia punctilobula</i>, and <i>Woodsia ilvensis</i>; and herbs, such as <i>Solidago simplex var. randii, Campanula rotundifolia</i>, and <i>Sibbaldiopsis tridentata</i>. <i>Paronychia argyrocoma</i> occurs on some cliffs. Bryoids are not well documented, but the lichen flora often includes <i>Umbilicaria</i> spp. This association differs from other northeastern cliff vegetation types by the absence of calciphiles and the characteristically subboreal flora, lacking <i>Quercus</i> spp. and <i>Juniperus virginiana</i>, and with little or no <i>Tsuga canadensis</i>. Cliffs intermediate between the acidic versus calcareous substrate and subboreal versus temperate setting do occur.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35158-{BA1E74A3-98A9-4B7C-8296-2F26258DB6F6}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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