Name:
Quercus montana - Pinus virginiana - (Pinus pungens) / Schizachyrium scoparium - Dichanthelium depauperatum Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This community is a mixed oak-pine woodland with a canopy of stunted, often gnarled trees, varying from semi-open to very open. It occurs on steep convex slopes, ridge spurs, and clifftops which have high solar exposure. Most are on moderate to steep slopes with much exposed mineral soil. Sites are confined to lower elevations (<770 m [2500 feet]), are distinctly xeric, and usually have southeast to southwest aspects. Underlying bedrock includes quartzite, metasandstone and sandstone, granite, shale, and other acidic rocks. Surface cover of outcrops and loose stones is relatively high. Soils are extremely acidic. The canopy is typically codominated by <i>Quercus montana</i> and <i>Pinus virginiana</i> in variable proportions; in some slightly more mesic occurrences, <i>Quercus rubra</i> may occur with or in place of <i>Quercus montana</i>. <i>Pinus pungens</i> is an important, even dominant, associate in a minority of stands. Minor but relatively constant tree associates include <i>Carya glabra, Amelanchier arborea</i>, and <i>Sassafras albidum</i>. Minor, inconstant tree associates include <i>Quercus coccinea, Quercus velutina, Quercus stellata, Quercus marilandica, Quercus alba, Carya tomentosa, Carya ovata, Juniperus virginiana, Pinus strobus</i>, and <i>Fraxinus americana</i>. The shrub layer varies from moderately dense to sparse, with <i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> and <i>Vaccinium stamineum</i> the most constant and abundant species. <i>Quercus ilicifolia, Kalmia latifolia, Rhus copallinum, Rhus aromatica, Rosa carolina, Castanea pumila, Viburnum acerifolium</i>, and <i>Toxicodendron pubescens</i> are inconstant, but occasionally common, in the type. Herbaceous composition and density vary with shrub density. Graminoid-rich openings dominated by <i>Schizachyrium scoparium, Dichanthelium depauperatum, Carex pensylvanica, Danthonia spicata</i>, and <i>Dichanthelium commutatum</i> are frequent. Also present is a surprising variety of low-cover forbs, among the most characteristic of which are <i>Hieracium venosum, Solidago erecta, Potentilla canadensis, Campanula divaricata, Viola sagittata, Houstonia longifolia, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Aureolaria laevigata, Helianthus divaricatus, Cunila origanoides, Symphyotrichum undulatum, Coreopsis verticillata, Tephrosia virginiana, Lespedeza frutescens, Polygonatum biflorum var. biflorum, Taenidia integerrima, Asplenium platyneuron</i>, and <i>Clitoria mariana</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:36596-{9B589FC9-B604-44AE-8DAF-A62059BEF147}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
45
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