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CEGL008536 Diervilla lonicera - Solidago simplex var. randii - Deschampsia flexuosa - Hylotelephium telephioides - Saxifraga michauxii Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern Bush-honeysuckle - Rand''s Goldenrod - Wavy Hairgrass - Allegheny Stonecrop - Michaux''s Saxifrage Grassland
Colloquial Name: High-Elevation Greenstone Barrens
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is known only from a few high-elevation mafic rock outcrops in the northern Virginia Blue Ridge. All known sites are located in Shenandoah National Park. This community type is associated with exposed rocky summits and upper slope outcrops of Catoctin Formation metabasalt (greenstone) at elevations from 870 to 1230 m (2860-4040 feet). Slope shape is typically convex in at least one direction, and aspect varies from west to north. The vegetation is characterized by a patchwork of shrub thickets (typically <25% cover), herbaceous mats (typically <40% cover), and crustose lichen colonies on exposed rock surfaces. The most frequent woody species include extremely stunted, wind-blasted specimens of the trees Betula alleghaniensis and Sorbus americana; characteristic shrubs and woody vines are Diervilla lonicera, Physocarpus opulifolius, Prunus pensylvanica, Prunus virginiana, Kalmia latifolia, and Smilax tamnoides. Deschampsia flexuosa and Solidago simplex var. randii are the most frequent dominant herbaceous species, but Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, Saxifraga michauxii, Carex pensylvanica, and Hylotelephium telephioides dominate in some areas.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type (CEGL008536) was formerly represented, in part, by the now-obsolete Saxifraga michauxii - Solidago simplex var. randii - Sibbaldiopsis tridentata Herbaceous Vegetation (CEGL004941). Recent multivariate analyses of a 956-plot dataset by the Virginia Dept. of Conservation / Division of Natural Heritage strongly supports the segregation of this type from vegetation documented south of Shenandoah National Park on the granitic summit of Spy Rock (Nelson County) and the amphibolite summit of Buffalo Mountain (Floyd County). The barrens of these two sites have been classified as ~Minuartia groenlandica - Paronychia argyrocoma - Saxifraga michauxii Outcrop Barrens (CEGL008509)$$. Several additional high-elevation greenstone outcrops in the park (e.g., Pass Mountain, Mount Marshall, Hightop) and elsewhere (e.g., Humpback Rocks, Nelson County) support ~Aronia melanocarpa - Gaylussacia baccata / Carex pensylvanica Shrubland (CEGL008508)$$. Vegetation of CEGL008508 is characterized by rhizomatous colonies of the low shrubs Aronia melanocarpa and Gaylussacia baccata and has a lower herb diversity and overall species richness than CEGL008536. Vegetation of the Stony Man seepage area was formerly recognized as a distinct type, Physocarpus opulifolius / Calamagrostis canadensis Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation (CEGL004253) but is now regarded as a variant of CEGL008536.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation is characterized by a patchwork of shrub thickets (typically <25% cover), herbaceous mats (typically <40% cover), and crustose lichen colonies on exposed rock surfaces. The most frequent woody species include extremely stunted, wind-blasted specimens of the trees Betula alleghaniensis and Sorbus americana; stunted trees of Abies balsamea also occur at several sites. Characteristic shrubs and woody vines are Diervilla lonicera, Physocarpus opulifolius, Prunus pensylvanica, Prunus virginiana, Kalmia latifolia, and Smilax tamnoides. Deschampsia flexuosa and Solidago simplex var. randii are usually the dominant herbaceous species, with mean cover in plot samples of 10-25% and 5-10%, respectively. Sibbaldiopsis tridentata is abundant (up to 25% cover) in a subset of sites but is absent from about half of the known sites. Other relatively constant and characteristic herbaceous species are Campanula divaricata, Carex pensylvanica, Heuchera pubescens, Hylotelephium telephioides (= Sedum telephioides), Phlox subulata, Poa compressa, Polypodium appalachianum, and Saxifraga michauxii. Inconstant but locally prominent herbaceous species include Allium cernuum, Angelica triquinata, Arabis lyrata, Houstonia longifolia, Danthonia spicata, Liatris turgida, and Saxifraga virginiensis. The grass Calamagrostis canadensis is abundant in the local seepage area on Stony Man Mountain, Virginia. Mean species richness of 15 plot-sampled stands is 27 taxa per 100 m2. Several boreal lichens, including Melanelia stygia, Porpidia lowiana, Porpidia tuberculosa, and Rhizocarpon geographicum occur abundantly on metabasalt outcrops within this community type. The following Virginia state-rare plants are associated with this community: Abies balsamea, Clematis occidentalis, Conioselinum chinense, Gymnocarpium appalachianum, Huperzia appalachiana, Juncus trifidus, Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, Solidago simplex var. randii, and Trisetum spicatum.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community type is associated with exposed rocky summits and upper slope outcrops of Catoctin Formation metabasalt (greenstone) at elevations from 870 to 1230 m (2860-4040 feet). Mean elevation of nine plot-sampled stands is 1068 m (3506 feet); an exceptional occurrence on the north slope of Mount Marshall is situated at an unusually low elevation of 870 m (2860 feet). Slope shape is typically convex in at least one direction, and aspect varies from west to north. Mean surface cover of bedrock and loose rocks at sample sites is 69%, while mean lichen / moss cover on these rocks is 42%. The moisture regime of these sites is xeric, and soil development is limited to shallow accumulations of disintegrated rock and humus on shelves and in crevices. However, an ephemeral spring seep with seasonally wet moss mats is present at one site (Stony Man Mountain). These habitats are periodically exposed to extreme winter temperatures, high winds, and ice. Soil samples extracted from plot locations are extremely acidic (mean pH = 4.0) but often have moderately high levels of calcium, magnesium, and manganese and high levels of aluminum (mean = 1577 ppm).
Geographic Range: This association is known only from a few high-elevation mafic rock outcrops in the northern Virginia Blue Ridge. All known sites are located in Shenandoah National Park. Most occurrences are in the higher, central section of the park, from the Big Meadows Area on the south to Stony Man Mountain on the north. A somewhat disjunct stand occurs on Mount Marshall in the northern section of the park.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: TN?, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683560
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nc Eastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D024 | 2.B.2.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nc.1 Catawba Rosebay / Michaux''s Saxifrage - Flattened Oatgrass Felsic & Mafic Scrub & Grassland Macrogroup | M506 | 2.B.2.Nc.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nc.1.c Little Bluestem - Balsam Groundsel - Prairie Groundsel Appalachian Mafic Glade Group | G180 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.c |
| Alliance | A3470 Southern Appalachian Mafic Shrubland Alliance | A3470 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.c |
| Association | CEGL008536 Northern Bush-honeysuckle - Rand''s Goldenrod - Wavy Hairgrass - Allegheny Stonecrop - Michaux''s Saxifrage Grassland | CEGL008536 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.c |
Concept Lineage: Considered a variant of this type. CEGL004251, CEGL004280 and CEGL004281 were merged into CEGL004253 which was subsequently merged into CEGL008536.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Diervilla lonicera - Solidago simplex var. randii - Deschampsia flexuosa - Hylotelephium telephioides - Saxifraga michauxii Herbaceous Vegetation (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
= Diervilla lonicera - Solidago simplex var. randii - Deschampsia flexuosa - Hylotelephium telephioides - Saxifraga michauxii Herbaceous Vegetation (Fleming et al. 2007a)
= Diervilla lonicera - Solidago simplex var. randii - Deschampsia flexuosa - Hylotelephium telephioides - Saxifraga michauxii Herbaceous Vegetation (Fleming et al. 2007a)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Fleming, G. P., A. Belden, Jr., K. E. Heffernan, A. C. Chazal, N. E. Van Alstine, and E. M. Butler. 2007a. A natural heritage inventory of the rock outcrops of Shenandoah National Park. Unpublished report submitted to the National Park Service. Natural Heritage Technical Report 07-01. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond. 433 pp. plus appendixes.
- Fleming, G. P., K. D. Patterson, and K. Taverna. 2017. The natural communities of Virginia: A classification of ecological community groups and community types. Third approximation. Version 3.0. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. [http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-communities/]
- Fleming, G. P., and P. P. Coulling. 2001. Ecological communities of the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Preliminary classification and description of vegetation types. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. 317 pp.
- Young, J., G. Fleming, P. Townsend, and J. Foster. 2006. Vegetation of Shenandoah National Park in relation to environmental gradients. Final Report (v.1.1). Research technical report prepared for USDI, National Park Service. USGS/NPS Vegetation Mapping Program. 92 pp. plus appendices.
- Young, J., G. Fleming, W. Cass, and C. Lea. 2009. Vegetation of Shenandoah National Park in relation to environmental gradients, Version 2.0. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2009/142. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. 389 pp.