Comm #10069
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Pinus echinata - Quercus (prinus, falcata) / Oxydendrum arboreum / Vaccinium pallidum Forest » more details
accession code: VB.CC.24796.PINUSECHINATAQU
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Southeastern Ecology Working Gro... |
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This association includes crests of low-elevation slopes and ridges on the fringes of the Southern Blue Ridge, extending into the southern Ridge and Valley and Cumberland Plateau, where Pinus echinata and dry-site oaks characteristic of lower elevations codominate in association with other Appalachian flora. This forest is known from the southern Blue Ridge Escarpment of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, particularly in the Blue Ridge/Piedmont transition, where it occurs on exposed, rocky ridges and upper, convex slopes, at elevations at or below 670 m (2200 feet). It also extends into the southern Ridge and Valley and Cumberland Plateau, but more information is needed to characterize the variation in that part of the range. This community may occur in slightly more protected situations in the hotter Piedmont ecoregion. Canopies are codominated by Pinus echinata and combinations of dry-site oaks that may include Quercus falcata, Quercus coccinea, Quercus prinus, Quercus stellata, and Quercus velutina. On rocky sites, canopies may be slightly stunted. Mid-canopy trees can be scattered or form a well-developed subcanopy. Common subcanopy trees can include Oxydendrum arboreum, Ilex opaca var. opaca, Cornus florida, Quercus marilandica, Quercus stellata, and Carya pallida. The shrub stratum varies in composition and density but is typically dominated by Vaccinium pallidum. Other shrubs may include Vaccinium stamineum, Gaylussacia ursina, Gaylussacia baccata, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Rhododendron minus, Castanea pumila, and Kalmia latifolia. On some sites Symplocos tinctoria can be important. Vitis rotundifolia and Smilax glauca are common vines. The herb stratum is poorly developed with scattered species such as Chimaphila maculata, Iris verna, Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum, Goodyera pubescens, Hexastylis arifolia, Coreopsis major (= var. rigida), Tipularia discolor, Schizachyrium scoparium, Pityopsis graminifolia var. latifolia, Tephrosia virginiana, Silphium compositum, Dichanthelium spp., and Galax urceolata. |
Comm #10070
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Coleogyne ramosissima / Pleuraphis jamesii Shrubland » more details
accession code: VB.CC.23776.COLEOGYNERAMOSI
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Western Ecology Working Group of... |
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This shrubland association occurs in the Colorado Plateau and Mojave Desert in areas with hot summers and cold winters. Sites are gently sloping to flat. Substrates are variable and range from deep, well-drained, sandy soils derived from sandstone to rocky, clayey soils. The vegetation is characterized by an open (10-30% cover) short-shrub layer that is dominated by the deciduous, microphyllous shrub Coleogyne ramosissima with a sparse to moderately dense perennial graminoid layer that is dominated or codominated by Pleuraphis jamesii. Shrub associates may be present including Atriplex canescens, Ephedra nevadensis, Ericameria nauseosa, Gutierrezia sarothrae, and Opuntia spp. Achnatherum hymenoides, Calochortus nuttallii, and several annuals may be present to abundant in the herbaceous layer, especially during wet years. Cover of introduced annual Bromus species may be high in disturbed stands. Occasional Juniperus osteosperma or Pinus edulis trees are present in some stands. |