Print Report
CEGL003892 Rubus allegheniensis - Rubus canadensis / Carex pensylvanica Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Allegheny Blackberry - Smooth Blackberry / Pennsylvania Sedge Shrubland
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian Blackberry Bald
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: Areas within open montane grasslands dominated by Rubus spp. (Rubus allegheniensis and/or Rubus canadensis) at high elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge. These shrublands also contain trace amounts of other species from the surrounding grassland, such as Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Agrostis perennans, Angelica triquinata, Carex debilis var. rudgei, Carex brunnescens, Carex intumescens, and Rumex acetosella (exotic).
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This vegetation type is thought to result from successional processes on natural grass balds following grazing and other disturbances, or following the cessation of natural disturbance regimes (e.g., periodic fires). This vegetation is now a natural part of high-elevation landscapes in the Southern Blue Ridge and an important part of the functioning landscape, but it is not a conservation target in and of itself.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: These shrublands are dominated by Rubus allegheniensis and Rubus canadensis, usually occurring within and on the edges of open montane grasslands at high elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge. Stands may contain large colonies of Carex pensylvanica under the dominant shrubs, as well as scattered individuals of other species from the surrounding grassland, such as Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Agrostis perennans, Angelica triquinata, Carex debilis var. rudgei, Carex brunnescens ssp. sphaerostachya, Carex intumescens (= var. fernaldii), and Rumex acetosella (exotic). Virginia examples of this community are heavily dominated by Rubus canadensis and contain a wide variety of minor associates.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This deciduous shrubland typically occurs at elevations from 1500-1980 m (5000-6500 feet). The developmental and ecological dynamics of this vegetation are poorly understood. Occurrences are thought to result from successional processes on natural grass balds following grazing and other disturbances, or following the cessation of natural disturbance regimes (e.g., periodic fires). Habitats are in exposed, upper-slope to crest positions, where low winter temperatures, high winds, and ice storms are characteristic. Stands occur both on edges of the natural bald on Whitetop Mountain, and in artificial balds that resulted from intensive logging, fires, and grazing on Mount Rogers and Wilburn Ridge.
Geographic Range: This community occurs only at the highest elevations of the Southern Appalachians in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Occurrences in Virginia are known only from the upper slopes of Whitetop Mountain, Mount Rogers, and Wilburn Ridge in the Southern Blue Ridge.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, TN, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685241
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.b Pennsylvania Sedge - Flattened Oatgrass - Shrubby Fivefingers Southern Appalachian Grass Bald Group | G657 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.b |
| Alliance | A0930 Allegheny Blackberry - Smooth Blackberry Shrubland Alliance | A0930 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.b |
| Association | CEGL003892 Allegheny Blackberry - Smooth Blackberry / Pennsylvania Sedge Shrubland | CEGL003892 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Rubus canadensis Shrubland (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
< ID9a. Grass Bald (Allard 1990)
< ID9a. Grass Bald (Allard 1990)
- Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.
- 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.
- Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- TDNH [Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage]. 2018. Unpublished data. Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage, Nashville, TN.