Name:
Aronia arbutifolia - Ilex verticillata - Ilex mucronata / Osmunda cinnamomea Acidic Peatland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This successional shrubland occurs on saturated, temporarily flooded, or semipermanently flooded acidic peatlands in the Allegheny Mountains region of West Virginia and Maryland, at elevations between 770 and 1210 m. It is a small-patch type that occupies flat to gently sloping land (0-2°) in headwater basins. Where conditions are favorable, individual stands may be as large as 12 ha. It is part of the natural disturbance mosaic of beaver-influenced vegetation types at high elevations in the Alleghenies, and also occurs on formerly forested peatlands that were logged or burned within the last 120 years. It is probably more widespread now than in the past, when forests covered much of its current habitat. Where natural succession is unhindered, some stands will likely recover to forested peatlands of high conservation value, although the recovery rate is slow (perhaps a century) in these frost-pocket habitats. Hummock-and-hollow microtopography is well-developed, with rounded peat-covered hummocks formed over woody stem clusters, decayed wood, and roots. Bedrock may be sandstone or, less commonly, limestone. Soil texture is moderately to very poorly drained peat, with a depth greater than one meter, although in earlier successional stands the peat may be only a few centimeters thick. Mean soil pH is 3.8. The unvegetated surface is predominantly litter, with an average of 5% standing water. This community may occur with either tall-shrub or short-shrub physiognomy, depending on the age of the stand. The shrub species favor hummock tops and typically include <i>Aronia melanocarpa, Aronia arbutifolia, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Vaccinium myrtilloides, Rhododendron maximum, Hypericum densiflorum, Ilex verticillata, Ilex mucronata</i>, and <i>Kalmia latifolia</i>. Less frequent, but sometimes locally abundant, shrub species are <i>Vaccinium corymbosum, Alnus incana ssp. rugosa, Vaccinium angustifolium</i>, and <i>Gaylussacia baccata</i>. Dwarf-shrub species with high constancy include <i>Rubus hispidus, Vaccinium oxycoccos</i>, and <i>Vaccinium macrocarpon</i>. The herbaceous layer typically occupies hollows and the sides of hummocks. Species with high cover and constancy are <i>Eriophorum virginicum, Solidago uliginosa, Carex folliculata</i>, and <i>Osmunda cinnamomea var. cinnamomea</i>. Species with lower constancy that are sometimes abundant include <i>Symplocarpus foetidus, Drosera rotundifolia var. rotundifolia, Gentiana linearis, Rhynchospora alba, Carex stipata, Juncus effusus, Lycopodium obscurum, Carex trisperma var. trisperma, Pteridium aquilinum, Gaultheria procumbens, Carex canescens, Carex gynandra</i>, and <i>Juncus brevicaudatus</i>. Nonvascular plants are abundant, dominated by <i>Sphagnum</i> spp. and often including high cover by <i>Polytrichum</i> spp. Mean species richness of all vascular plants and any nonvascular plants with cover >1% is 21 taxa per 400 m2.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35173-{65165801-9293-4BEA-A9B7-BF15EC6825F0}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
60
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