Name:
Pinus pungens - Pinus rigida - (Quercus montana) / Kalmia latifolia - Vaccinium pallidum Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association includes mostly evergreen woodlands dominated by <i>Pinus pungens</i> and/or <i>Pinus rigida</i>, occurring over a dense ericaceous shrub stratum, on sharp ridges, mostly above 610 m (2000 feet) elevation in the Southern Blue Ridge. This type is also found in limited areas of the inner Piedmont and Cumberland Mountains. This woodland occurs across a wide elevational range (485-1220 m [1600-4000 feet]), on exposed ridges and upper slopes with southerly and westerly exposures, over thin, excessively drained, nutrient-poor soils, and can be associated with rock outcroppings. Canopy coverage can often approach that of a forest, especially in areas where fire has been excluded and deciduous species have significant coverage. Deciduous species that can be important, particularly in the subcanopy, include <i>Quercus montana, Quercus coccinea, Quercus stellata, Nyssa sylvatica, Acer rubrum</i>, and <i>Oxydendrum arboreum</i>. <i>Pinus virginiana, Pinus echinata</i>, and <i>Pinus strobus</i> can have high coverage and even codominate on some sites. The shrub stratum is dominated by ericaceous species, typically <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> and <i>Eubotrys recurva</i> in the tall-shrub stratum and <i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> as a low shrub. Other shrub species vary with location but include <i>Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium simulatum, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium hirsutum, Vaccinium corymbosum, Rhododendron maximum, Rhododendron minus, Gaylussacia ursina, Gaylussacia baccata, Buckleya distichophylla, Pyrularia pubera</i>, and <i>Fothergilla major</i>. Species commonly found in the sparse herb stratum include <i>Chimaphila maculata, Galax urceolata, Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum, Xerophyllum asphodeloides, Chamaelirium luteum, Comptonia peregrina, Leiophyllum buxifolium, Gaultheria procumbens, Iris verna, Dichanthelium</i> spp., and <i>Epigaea repens</i>, although herbaceous species composition will vary within the range of this community. <i>Smilax glauca</i> is a common vine. Without periodic fire, this community will gradually succeed into forests dominated by <i>Acer rubrum</i> or <i>Quercus montana</i> and <i>Quercus coccinea</i>, except on the most extreme sites, where this vegetation is self-perpetuating. It is thought that woodlands dominated by <i>Pinus pungens</i> are associated with more xeric conditions than woodlands dominated by <i>Pinus pungens</i> in combination with other tree species.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35411-{3DF5F189-8A8E-48C1-995E-736C5CA188D1}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
204
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