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CEGL004279 Saxifraga michauxii - Carex misera - Danthonia spicata - Krigia montana Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Michaux''s Saxifrage - Wretched Sedge - Poverty Oatgrass - Mountain Dwarf-dandelion Grassland
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian High-Elevation Rocky Summit (Typic Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association consists of rock outcrops with sparse vegetative cover of forbs, grasses and shrubs which are rooted in rock fissures. This vegetation occurs in the Southern Appalachians of Tennessee and North Carolina at 1350-1870 m elevation within a matrix of Quercus rubra forest or high-elevation grasslands and shrublands. Typical species include Saxifraga michauxii, Danthonia spicata, Krigia montana, Carex misera, Angelica triquinata, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Rhododendron catawbiense, and Heuchera villosa. Other characteristic species are Sanguisorba canadensis, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, Hylotelephium telephioides, Houstonia purpurea var. montana, Geum radiatum, Solidago spithamaea, and Huperzia appalachiana.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This community is associated with amphibolite, metabasalt, metagabbro, or metagraywacke bedrock. In an 1134-plot regional analysis (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia) for the Southern Appalachian portion of the Appalachian Trail, nine plots were classified as this association (Fleming and Patterson 2009a). These plots are all from various localities on the Roan Mountain Massif (NC and TN), and five are located along the Appalachian Trail. The most constant species (>50%) in this group are Danthonia spicata, Minuartia groenlandica, Rumex acetosella, Saxifraga michauxii, Heuchera villosa var. villosa, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, Krigia montana, Solidago glomerata, Deschampsia flexuosa, Alnus viridis ssp. crispa (seedlings), and Rhododendron catawbiense (seedlings).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Typical species in stands of this type include Saxifraga michauxii, Danthonia spicata, Krigia montana, Carex misera, Angelica triquinata, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Rhododendron catawbiense, and Heuchera villosa var. villosa. Other characteristic species are Sanguisorba canadensis, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, Hylotelephium telephioides (= Sedum telephioides), Houstonia purpurea var. montana, Geum radiatum, Solidago spithamaea, and Huperzia appalachiana. In addition, some examples contain Agrostis perennans, Alnus viridis ssp. crispa, Carex debilis, Krigia montana, Minuartia glabra, Minuartia groenlandica, and Potentilla canadensis.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association consists of rock outcrops with sparse vegetative cover of forbs, grasses and shrubs which are rooted in rock fissures. It occurs at 1350-1870 m elevation within a matrix of Quercus rubra forest or high-elevation grasslands and shrublands. The rock types on which it may occur include amphibolite, metabasalt, metagabbro, and metagraywacke.
Geographic Range: This high-elevation community is restricted to the Southern Appalachians of Tennessee and North Carolina.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685604
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.d Wretched Sedge - Michaux''s Saxifrage - Highbush Blueberry Appalachian Rocky Outcrop Group | G670 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.d |
| Alliance | A1621 Michaux''s Saxifrage - Wretched Sedge - Little Bluestem Rocky Grassland Alliance | A1621 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.d |
| Association | CEGL004279 Michaux''s Saxifrage - Wretched Sedge - Poverty Oatgrass - Mountain Dwarf-dandelion Grassland | CEGL004279 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Deschampsia flexuosa / Angelica triquinata outcrop community (Wiser 1993)
> Deschampsia flexuosa / Angelica triquinata outcrop community (Wiser et al. 1996)
? Paronychia argycoma (sic) / Polypodium appalachianum outcrop community (Wiser 1993)
> Paronychia argyrocoma / Polypodium appalachianum outcrop community (Wiser et al. 1996)
= Saxifraga michauxii - Carex misera - Danthonia spicata - Krigia montana Herbaceous Vegetation (Fleming and Patterson 2009a)
< IE4a. Southern Appalachian High Elevation Acidic Rocky Summit (Allard 1990)
> Deschampsia flexuosa / Angelica triquinata outcrop community (Wiser et al. 1996)
? Paronychia argycoma (sic) / Polypodium appalachianum outcrop community (Wiser 1993)
> Paronychia argyrocoma / Polypodium appalachianum outcrop community (Wiser et al. 1996)
= Saxifraga michauxii - Carex misera - Danthonia spicata - Krigia montana Herbaceous Vegetation (Fleming and Patterson 2009a)
< IE4a. Southern Appalachian High Elevation Acidic Rocky Summit (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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Wiser, S. K. 1993. Vegetation of high-elevation rock outcrops of the Southern Appalachians: Composition, environmental relationships, and biogeography of communities and rare species. Ph.D. dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 271 pp.
- Wiser, S. K., R. K. Peet, and P. S. White. 1996. High-elevation rock outcrop vegetation of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Journal of Vegetation Science 7:703-722.