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CEGL006527 Pellaea atropurpurea Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Purple Cliffbrake Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Northeastern Temperate Alkaline Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in the temperate regions of the northeastern United States, where weathering of calcium-bearing rock creates at least locally calcareous conditions. The vertical cliffs may be composed of alkaline bedrock such as limestone or dolomite, but this vegetation can also be found on cliffs where the matrix rock is acidic (e.g., schists or even granite), either where local inclusions weather to more nutrient-rich conditions or where fractures conduct more nutrient-rich seepage waters. These cliffs are generally mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation. The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and contains scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. (Often only a few of the typical plants listed below will be at any one site.) Typical woody plants include Juniperus virginiana, Thuja occidentalis, Clematis occidentalis, and Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda. Diagnostic ferns are Pellaea atropurpurea, Pellaea glabella, Cryptogramma stelleri, Woodsia obtusa, and Asplenium ruta-muraria. Additional ferns, that may grow on other types of cliffs as well include Asplenium trichomanes, Woodsia ilvensis, Cystopteris bulbifera, Cystopteris fragilis, and Cystopteris tenuis. Small herbs, such as Carex eburnea, Aquilegia canadensis, Arabis laevigata, Arabis hirsuta, Aureolaria pedicularia, Campanula rotundifolia, Epilobium ciliatum, and Saxifraga virginiensis, are typical. They bryoid flora may be quite diverse, with several species restricted to calcareous cliffs, but is not well-documented. This association differs from ~Carex scirpoidea Alkaline Cliff Sparse Vegetation (CEGL006526)$$, also characterized by calciphilic plants, by the absence of more boreal species such as Picea rubens, Betula papyrifera, Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia, and Dryopteris fragrans; it differs from temperate acidic cliffs in the presence of calciphiles.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Cliff vegetation in the Northeast has not been well studied, and comparative work is needed across the Northeast, upper Midwest, and adjacent Canada.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and contains scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. (Often only a few of the typical plants listed below will be at any one site.) Typical woody plants include Juniperus virginiana, Thuja occidentalis, Clematis occidentalis, and Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda. Diagnostic ferns are Pellaea atropurpurea, Pellaea glabella, Cryptogramma stelleri, Woodsia obtusa, and Asplenium ruta-muraria. Additional ferns, that may grow on other types of cliffs as well include Asplenium trichomanes, Woodsia ilvensis, Cystopteris bulbifera, Cystopteris fragilis, and Cystopteris tenuis. Small herbs, such as Carex eburnea, Aquilegia canadensis, Arabis laevigata, Arabis hirsuta, Aureolaria pedicularia, Campanula rotundifolia, Epilobium ciliatum, and Saxifraga virginiensis, are typical. They bryoid flora may be quite diverse, with several species restricted to calcareous cliffs, but is not well documented.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in the temperate regions of the northeastern United States, where weathering of calcium-bearing rock creates at least locally calcareous conditions. The vertical cliffs may be composed of alkaline bedrock such as limestone or dolomite, but this vegetation can also be found on cliffs where the matrix rock is acidic (e.g., schists or even granite), either where local inclusions weather to more nutrient-rich conditions or where fractures conduct more nutrient-rich seepage waters. These cliffs are generally mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation.
Geographic Range: No Data Available
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MA, NH, NY, QC, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684345
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 6 Open Rock Vegetation Class | C06 | 6 |
| Subclass | 6.B Temperate & Boreal Open Rock Vegetation Subclass | S04 | 6.B |
| Formation | 6.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Cliff, Scree & Other Rock Vegetation Formation | F034 | 6.B.1 |
| Division | 6.B.1.Na Eastern North American Temperate Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Division | D051 | 6.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 6.B.1.Na.1 Shrubby Fivefingers - Rock Polypody / Cup Lichen species Eastern North American Cliff & Rock Vegetation Macrogroup | M111 | 6.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 6.B.1.Na.1.b Laurentian-Acadian-Great Lakes Cliff & Rock Vegetation Group | G839 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
| Alliance | A4006 Laurentian-Acadian-Great Lakes Alkaline Cliff Alliance | A4006 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
| Association | CEGL006527 Purple Cliffbrake Cliff Sparse Vegetation | CEGL006527 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Sperduto, D. D., and W. F. Nichols. 2004. Natural communities of New Hampshire: A guide and classification. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, DRED Division of Forests and Lands, Concord. 242 pp.
- Swain, P. C., and J. B. Kearsley. 2014. Classification of the natural communities of Massachusetts. Version 2.0. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Westborough, MA. [http://www.mass.gov/nhesp/http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/natural-heritage/natural-communities/classification-of-natural-communities.html]
- Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2005. Wetland, woodland, wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH. 456 pp.