Name:
Carex misera - Saxifraga michauxii - Vaccinium corymbosum Appalachian Rocky Outcrop Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
These are treeless rock outcrops of the southern and central Appalachian Mountains, best developed in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. The vegetation is generally characterized by a mixture of low-growing lifeforms, especially lichens, mosses, and short-statured forbs. Less commonly, graminoids and low shrubs are encountered. Species common to all outcrop vegetation types include <i>Carex misera, Saxifraga michauxii</i>, and <i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i>. Outcrops may be vertical to horizontal, rugged or fractured rock outcrops of peaks, ridgetops, upper slopes, and other topographically exposed locations. Higher elevation examples occur from 1200 to 2030 m in elevation; other examples may be found at elevations of 305 m (1000 feet) or lower on foothills. These outcrops occur on felsic to mafic rocks and are distinguished from surrounding systems by the prevalence of bare or lichen-encrusted rocks. This group unifies several vegetation types with widely differing physiognomies, ranging from woodland to low shrubland, to perennial grassland, to lichen-dominated with low vascular plant cover. They are unified by their common environments, which include rock outcrops, boulderfields, exfoliation outcrops, consolidated cliffs, unconsolidated bouldery talus, and rocky domes and summits in the Central and Southern Appalachians.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40313-{1BFB2AC9-D8CB-40FC-A553-626DEB3ACF34}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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