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Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis / Veratrum viride - Carex scabrata - Oclemena acuminata Swamp Forest | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis / Veratrum viride - Carex scabrata - Oclemena acuminata Swamp Forest Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019 Description: This community is currently known from scattered sites in the Northern Blue Ridge and Ridge and Valley provinces of Virginia. Similar communities have been observed in the High Allegheny Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, the Maryland Blue Ridge, and the Ridge and Valley of east-central West Virginia. Occurrences in Pennsylvania also seem likely. The type appears to be limited to higher-elevation montane wetlands in a portion of the Central Appalachians where <i>Rhododendron maximum</i> is infrequent to absent. Sites are usually located in high-elevation valleys or slope concavities, in diffuse stream headwaters and lateral, groundwater-saturated flats along larger streams. Occasionally, stands occupy gentle depressions or basins influenced by seasonally perched groundwater but without flowing streams. Elevation ranges from 670-1170 m (2200-3840 feet), though most occurrences are above 900 m (3000 feet). Habitats are flat to moderately sloping and typically have &gt;20% surface cover of boulders and stones weathered from metabasalt, granitic rocks, or sandstone. Stream-bottom habitats have pronounced hummock-and-hollow microtopography, with moss-covered mounds and intertwining roots of <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i>, mucky pools, and braided drainage channels. Canopy dominance is shared by <i>Tsuga canadensis</i> and <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i> in variable proportions. Minor canopy associates include <i>Acer rubrum, Fraxinus americana, Pinus strobus, Quercus alba</i>, and <i>Quercus rubra</i>. Small-tree and shrub layers are open to sparse, with <i>Acer pensylvanicum, Hamamelis virginiana, Ilex verticillata</i>, and <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> the most frequent species. <i>Alnus incana ssp. rugosa</i> is a dominant shrub in one sampled plot. <i>Rhododendron catawbiense</i> is scattered in some stands of this community in the southern part of the Northern Blue Ridge but does not form dense stands. The herb layer is well-developed and usually lush with forbs.  Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:36591-{9AC5079E-9892-48BB-8221-F67ABAC1C781} Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 24
	Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization) Perspective from: 01-Feb-2008 to: ongoing
	status: accepted Community's Parent: Betula alleghaniensis - Tsuga canadensis Swamp Forest Alliance This Community's Level: Association This Community's Children: [none]		Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687138 NatureServe Explorer   Code: CEGL008533   Translated: Eastern Hemlock - Yellow Birch / Green False Hellebore - Eastern Rough Sedge - Whorled Wood Aster Swamp Forest   Common: High-Elevation Hemlock - Yellow Birch Seepage Swamp   Scientific: Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis / Veratrum viride - Carex scabrata - Oclemena acuminata Swamp Forest (convergence) and Synonyms: (similar) Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis / Veratrum viride - Carex scabrata - Oclemena acuminata Forest (similar) CEGL008533 (similar) Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis / Veratrum viride - Carex scabrata - Oclemena acuminata Forest