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CEGL007878 Quercus rubra - Tilia americana var. heterophylla - (Halesia tetraptera var. monticola) / Collinsonia canadensis - Prosartes lanuginosa Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern Red Oak - Appalachian Basswood - (Mountain Silverbell) / Richweed - Yellow Fairybells Forest
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian Red Oak Cove Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community is a Quercus rubra-dominated rich forest of protected steep, rocky slopes at intermediate elevations (mostly 800-1400 m [2600-4600 feet]) in the Southern Appalachians. Its distribution is not completely known, but appears to be concentrated in the southern part of the Southern Blue Ridge, in southwestern North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and possibly northern Georgia. This forest has a canopy dominated by Quercus rubra (25-50% cover) occurring with lesser amounts of Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Fraxinus americana, Acer saccharum, Betula lenta, and Carya glabra. Halesia tetraptera var. monticola is an important canopy associate over parts of the range, particularly in the Great Smoky Mountains. Other minor canopy and subcanopy trees include Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnolia acuminata, Acer pensylvanicum, Acer rubrum, Aesculus flava, Carya cordiformis, and Prunus serotina. The shrub stratum is open, made up of saplings from the canopy and subcanopy, with no clear dominant. Herbs are sparse to moderate in coverage, with relatively high species richness. Herbs with the highest coverages are Collinsonia canadensis, Polystichum acrostichoides, Prosartes lanuginosa, Actaea racemosa, Thelypteris noveboracensis, and Impatiens pallida. Other typical herbs are Actaea pachypoda, Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Agrostis spp., Arisaema triphyllum, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Desmodium nudiflorum, Dioscorea quaternata, Dryopteris marginalis, Galium lanceolatum, Laportea canadensis, Maianthemum racemosum, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, Polygonatum biflorum, Sanguinaria canadensis, Smilax herbacea, Solidago curtisii, Tradescantia subaspera, and Viola cucullata.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association may represent a subset of ~Quercus alba - Quercus rubra - Quercus montana / Collinsonia canadensis - Podophyllum peltatum Forest (CEGL007692)$$, Appalachian Montane Oak - Hickory Forest (Rich Type), or may be transitional between it and ~Liriodendron tulipifera - Fraxinus americana - (Aesculus flava) / Actaea racemosa - Laportea canadensis Forest (CEGL007710)$$, Southern Appalachian Cove Forest (Typic Montane Type). More regional information is needed to assess the distinctiveness of this type. It is described from a small number of samples from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In a regional analysis for the Appalachian Trail project and a follow-up comparative analysis with ~Quercus alba - Quercus rubra - Quercus montana / Collinsonia canadensis - Podophyllum peltatum Forest (CEGL007692)$$, 35 plots from North Carolina and Tennessee were classified as this type (Fleming and Patterson 2009a). These analyses demonstrated that this type is distinct from CEGL007692 and has a wider distribution on the Southern Blue Ridge than previously documented.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This forest has a canopy dominated by Quercus rubra (25-50% cover) occurring with lesser amounts of Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Fraxinus americana, Acer saccharum, Betula lenta, and Carya glabra. Halesia tetraptera var. monticola is an important canopy associate over parts of the range, particularly in the Great Smoky Mountains. Other minor canopy and subcanopy trees include Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnolia acuminata, Acer pensylvanicum, Acer rubrum, Aesculus flava, Carya cordiformis, and Prunus serotina. The shrub stratum is open, made up of saplings from the canopy and subcanopy, with no clear dominant. Herbs are sparse to moderate in cover, with relatively high species richness. Herbs with the highest covers are Collinsonia canadensis, Polystichum acrostichoides, Prosartes lanuginosa, Actaea racemosa, Thelypteris noveboracensis, and Impatiens pallida. Other typical herbs are Actaea pachypoda, Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Agrostis spp., Arisaema triphyllum, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Desmodium nudiflorum, Dioscorea quaternata, Dryopteris marginalis, Galium lanceolatum, Laportea canadensis, Maianthemum racemosum, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, Polygonatum biflorum, Sanguinaria canadensis, Smilax herbacea, Solidago curtisii (= Solidago caesia var. curtisii), Tradescantia subaspera, and Viola cucullata. Many other herbs occur at low cover and constancy. Mean species richness of 35 plots is 67 taxa per 1000 m2.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is found on protected steep, rocky slopes at intermediate elevations in the Southern Appalachians. The known elevational range is 600-1580 m (2000-5200 feet), but most stands occur between 800 and 1400 m (2600-4600 feet). The type is most commonly associated with middle-slope sites that have moderate to high surficial rock cover, including sideslopes and the upper parts of coves. It is also known from more exposed, rocky, convex upper slopes and ridge spurs. The mean aspect of 35 plots samples is 41° (northeast). Soil samples collected from plots are strongly acidic with notably high organic matter content, but have higher magnesium and calcium levels than most other Southern Appalachian soils. Soil chemistry data suggests that mafic bedrock underlies at least some of the sites occupied by this association.
Geographic Range: This community is found in the Southern Blue Ridge of Tennessee, North Carolina, and possibly Georgia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA?, NC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683736
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.3 Appalachian-Interior-Northeastern Mesic Forest Macrogroup | M883 | 1.B.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.3.a American Beech - Tuliptree - Yellow Buckeye Forest Group | G020 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
| Alliance | A0235 Tuliptree - Appalachian Basswood - Yellow Buckeye Forest Alliance | A0235 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
| Association | CEGL007878 Northern Red Oak - Appalachian Basswood - (Mountain Silverbell) / Richweed - Yellow Fairybells Forest | CEGL007878 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus rubra - Tilia americana var. heterophylla - (Halesia tetraptera var. monticola) / Collinsonia canadensis - Prosartes lanuginosa Forest (Fleming and Patterson 2009a)
- Fleming, G. P., and K. D. Patterson. 2009a. A vegetation classification for the Appalachian Trail: Virginia south to Georgia. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage. In-house analysis, March 2009.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. No date. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.