Name:
Betula lenta - Quercus montana / Parthenocissus quinquefolia Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This talus or rocky slope woodland community occurs in the central Appalachian Mountains and extends west to the Western Allegheny Plateau in Pennsylvania. The substrate is generally quartzite or sandstone talus. Sites are usually steeply sloping, but the type also sometimes occurs on gentler benches and ridge crests. Soils, where present, are shallow, organic, acidic and infertile. The canopy is of variable cover but generally open with gnarled, widely spaced trees. Characteristic trees are birches, primarily <i>Betula lenta</i> but less frequently including <i>Betula papyrifera, Betula populifolia</i>, or <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i>, as well as <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i>. Other tree associates may include <i>Tsuga canadensis, Acer rubrum, Carya glabra, Quercus montana, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Quercus velutina</i>, or <i>Quercus coccinea</i>. Typical shrubs include <i>Acer spicatum, Acer pensylvanicum, Amelanchier arborea, Castanea dentata, Kalmia latifolia, Hamamelis virginiana, Menziesia pilosa, Ribes rotundifolium, Vaccinium angustifolium, Vitis</i> spp., <i>Toxicodendron radicans, Smilax rotundifolia</i>, and <i>Parthenocissus quinquefolia</i>. Ferns characterize the herb layer and may include <i>Dryopteris marginalis, Polypodium virginianum, Woodsia obtusa</i>, or <i>Asplenium platyneuron</i>. The forbs <i>Aralia nudicaulis, Heuchera</i> spp., and <i>Scutellaria saxatilis</i> are also well-adapted to the bouldery habitats. Lichens, especially the rock-tripes <i>Lasallia papulosa</i> and <i>Umbilicaria mammulata </i>and the foliose species <i>Flavoparmelia baltimorensis</i>, characterize the nonvascular layer.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35191-{3DFB252C-A005-4144-A7BF-D7259EADAD8B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
35
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