Name:
Quercus alba - Quercus (rubra, montana) / Rhododendron calendulaceum - (Gaylussacia ursina) Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
These forests occur in a wide elevational range, from 610 to 1372 m (2000-4500 feet), in the Southern Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge/Piedmont transition, and the higher ridges of the Cumberland Mountains and Ridge and Valley in southwestern Virginia. The type occurs generally on deep soils of broad ridgetops, exposed upper slopes and saddles, occurring less frequently on protected lower slopes, bottoms and coves. Stands of this deciduous forest association are dominated or codominated by <i>Quercus alba</i>, occurring with other <i>Quercus</i> species (<i>Quercus rubra, Quercus montana, Quercus coccinea</i>). Associated species are characteristically montane and typical of acidic forests. This association lacks indicators of circumneutral soils and also lacks low-elevation dry-site species such as <i>Pinus echinata, Quercus falcata, Quercus stellata</i>, and <i>Quercus marilandica</i>. Species other than oaks that can be important in the canopy include <i>Carya tomentosa, Carya glabra, Carya ovalis, Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer rubrum</i>, and <i>Magnolia fraseri</i>. Common species in the subcanopy/sapling strata include <i>Cornus florida, Acer rubrum, Carya</i> spp., <i>Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnolia fraseri, Nyssa sylvatica, Oxydendrum arboreum, Pinus strobus</i>, and <i>Halesia tetraptera</i>. Shrub cover is sparse to very dense and is often dominated by deciduous heaths. <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> and <i>Gaylussacia ursina</i> are usually present, but other shrub species can include <i>Euonymus americanus, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium pallidum, Viburnum acerifolium, Calycanthus floridus, Pyrularia pubera, Ilex montana, Halesia tetraptera</i>, and <i>Hamamelis virginiana</i>. In the northern portion of the range of this association (northwestern North Carolina and southwestern Virginia), <i>Gaylussacia ursina</i> is frequently absent from the shrub layer. <i>Smilax glauca</i> and <i>Vitis rotundifolia</i> are common vines. The herbaceous stratum is sparse to moderate in coverage, but often rich in species, approaching the diversity but not the coverage of rich cove forests. Associated herbaceous species vary with elevation and soil moisture. Often there is a dominant fern stratum, with <i>Thelypteris noveboracensis</i> and <i>Polystichum acrostichoides</i> most typically dominant.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35501-{36BBE885-3D4A-4955-B261-08232A5D6FAC}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
294
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