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CEGL004516 Rhododendron catawbiense - Pieris floribunda Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Catawba Rosebay - Mountain Fetterbush Shrubland
Colloquial Name: Heath Bald (Southern Mixed Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association comprises dense, montane shrub thickets dominated by Rhododendron catawbiense and Pieris floribunda, typically at elevations over 1670 m (5500 feet), on steep, rocky, dry, southwestern to southeastern exposures. This shrubland does not occur north of the Asheville Basin and is known from occurrences in Balsam Mountain (Devil''s Courthouse, Silvermine Bald, Shining Rock, Tanasee Bald, Mt. Pisgah). Other shrub species can include Aronia melanocarpa, Kalmia latifolia, Amelanchier laevis, Ilex montana, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Prunus serotina, Sorbus americana, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium pallidum, and Vaccinium erythrocarpum. Herb cover is sparse beneath the dense shrub canopy but may include such species as Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Oclemena acuminata, Eurybia chlorolepis, Eurybia macrophylla, Carex pensylvanica, Galax urceolata, Listera smallii, and Prenanthes sp. This community occurs adjacent to spruce - fir and Northern hardwood forests and montane grasslands dominated by Danthonia compressa and Carex pensylvanica. This community typically is of shorter stature on the most exposed sites over 1830 m (6000 feet) elevation.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The species Pieris floribunda occurs without Rhododendron catawbiense in the Ridge and Valley and Allegheny front range of Virginia.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: These shrublands are dominated by Rhododendron catawbiense and Pieris floribunda. Other shrub species can include Aronia melanocarpa, Kalmia latifolia, Amelanchier laevis, Ilex montana, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Prunus serotina, Sorbus americana, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium pallidum, and Vaccinium erythrocarpum. Herb cover is sparse beneath the dense shrub canopy but may include such species as Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Oclemena acuminata (= Aster acuminatus), Eurybia chlorolepis (= Aster chlorolepis), Eurybia macrophylla (= Aster macrophyllus), Carex pensylvanica, Galax urceolata, Listera smallii, and Prenanthes sp. (Newell and Peet 1996a).
Dynamics: This community typically is of shorter stature on the most exposed sites over 1830 m (6000 feet) elevation.
Environmental Description: These dense, montane shrub thickets are typically found at elevations over 1670 m (5500 feet), on steep, rocky, dry, southwestern to southeastern exposures. This shrubland does not occur north of the Asheville Basin and is known from occurrences in Balsam Mountain (Devil''s Courthouse, Silvermine Bald, Shining Rock, Tanasee Bald, Mt. Pisgah).
Geographic Range: This community has a very restricted range, found primarily in Balsam Mountain, south of Asheville, North Carolina.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686543
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.a Catawba Rosebay - Mountain Fetterbush - Mountain Alder Southern Appalachian Shrub Bald Group | G658 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.a |
| Alliance | A0744 Catawba Rosebay - Carolina Azalea - Mountain Laurel Shrub Bald Alliance | A0744 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL004516 Catawba Rosebay - Mountain Fetterbush Shrubland | CEGL004516 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Rhododendron catawbiense-Pieris Shrubland (Newell and Peet 1996a)
< IC4a. Heath Bald Shrubland (Allard 1990)
< IC4a. Heath Bald Shrubland (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.
- Newell, C. L., and R. K. Peet. 1996a. Vegetation of Shining Rock Wilderness, North Carolina. Unpublished report to USDA Forest Service. University of North Carolina, Department of Biological Science, Chapel Hill, NC. 253 pp. plus map.
- Risk, P. L. 1993. High elevation heath communities in the Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Ph.D. dissertation, 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.
- 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.