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Pinus virginiana - Quercus montana / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Pinus virginiana - Quercus montana / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: This shale barren mixed woodland is endemic to the Central Appalachian region of west-central Virginia and eastern West Virginia and the Ridge and Valley physiographic province in Maryland. There it is widely but locally distributed in shale districts of the Ridge and Valley on strongly convex, mostly southeast- to west-facing slopes and adjacent divide crests. It is very locally represented in similar Blue Ridge landscapes underlain by shale-like metamorphic rocks. Stands range in elevation from about 300-730 m (1000-2400 feet) on moderate to steep slopes. These environments are xeric and drought-prone, with high soil temperatures and evaporation rates during the summer months. In some areas, substrates appear to be relatively stable and lack the ongoing erosional processes of the larger, steeper shale barrens. Vegetation is an open woodland dominated by <i>Pinus virginiana</i> and <i>Quercus montana</i>, usually as a mixture but occasionally with one strongly dominant. <i>Pinus pungens</i> and <i>Quercus rubra</i> are occasional canopy associates. Mean canopy cover is usually &lt;50%, and dominant pines are &lt;15 m tall. A sparse understory of younger <i>Pinus virginiana</i> and <i>Quercus montana</i> 6-10 m tall is usually present, often with <i>Amelanchier arborea</i>. The sparse shrub layer is characterized by patchy <i>Quercus ilicifolia</i> and tree saplings. Low-growing <i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> is the most abundant component of the short-shrub layer, sometimes occurring with <i>Vaccinium stamineum</i>. The herbaceous flora of this vegetation is depauperate. <i>Carex pensylvanica</i> and <i>Danthonia spicata</i> are typical, although at low cover. Forbs tend to be variable among sites; the most typical are <i>Hieracium greenei, Viola pedata, Houstonia longifolia</i>, and <i>Solidago bicolor</i>. Scattered individuals of the shale-barren endemics <i>Antennaria virginica, Packera antennariifolia, Paronychia montana</i>, and <i>Eriogonum allenii</i> occasionally occur in this community, particularly where stands border well-developed shale barrens. A characteristic feature of some examples of this type is ground-level dominance of <i>Cladonia</i> spp. lichens. This association differs from related shale-barren associations in its extremely depauperate flora, absence of <i>Juniperus virginiana</i>, and presence of <i>Hieracium greenei</i> and <i>Quercus ilicifolia</i>. <i>Pinus pungens</i> may occur in this type and is very rarely found in other shale barren types. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:36585-{AAA5A3E5-7680-4D13-A5FB-8C9715B6ABAE}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 22
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 20-Dec-2018 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687809 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: CEGL008525
  Translated: Virginia Pine - Chestnut Oak / Bear Oak / (Maryland Hawkweed, Bird's-foot Violet) Woodland
  Common: Central Appalachian Xeric Shale Woodland (Virginia Pine / Sparse Herbs Type)
  Scientific: Pinus virginiana - Quercus montana / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(similar) CEGL008525
(similar) Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland
(similar) Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii) Woodland