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CEGL003913 Rhododendron (maximum, catawbiense) - Ilex collina - Salix sericea / Eriophorum virginicum Seepage Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Great Laurel, Catawba Rosebay) - Long-stalk Holly - Silky Willow / Tawny Cottongrass Seepage Shrubland
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian Shrub Bog (Long Hope Valley Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community includes non-alluvial, wetland vegetation at very high elevations (1170-1490 m [3850-4900 feet]) in the southern Appalachian Mountains. It is known only from the valley of Long Hope Creek, Ashe and Watauga counties, North Carolina, where about 20 examples occur, and from Mount Rogers, Grayson County, Virginia. This palustrine shrubland is known to occur over amphibolite (a mafic metamorphic rock) and over rhyolite (a felsic igneous rock), on slight to fairly steep slopes (1-15%), is slightly to strongly seepage-fed, and generally has shallow soils over bedrock. Examples are structurally variable, but usually have greater than 25% shrub cover (ranges to 100%). The vegetation generally consists of a mosaic of shrub thickets and small herb-dominated areas, much of it underlain by Sphagnum mats. Sphagnum coverage is 50-100%. Trees such as Picea rubens, Abies fraseri, Pinus strobus, and Tsuga canadensis may be scattered throughout or may dominate in patches or on the edges. Dominant shrubs include Salix sericea, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Ilex collina, Rhododendron catawbiense, and Rhododendron maximum. Other characteristic species include Taxus canadensis (Long Hope Valley only), Picea rubens, Rosa palustris, Salix humilis, Carex atlantica, Carex baileyi, Carex echinata, Carex gynandra, Carex leptalea, Carex lurida, Carex trisperma, Eriophorum virginicum, Galium asprellum, Houstonia serpyllifolia, Juncus effusus, Osmunda cinnamomea, Oxypolis rigidior, Rhynchospora capitellata, Scirpus cyperinus, Scirpus expansus, Scirpus polyphyllus, Packera aurea, Solidago patula var. patula, Sphagnum fuscum, Sphagnum recurvum, and Rhizomnium appalachianum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: In North Carolina, this shrubland often occurs in association with ~Carex atlantica - Rhynchospora alba - Parnassia asarifolia / Sphagnum warnstorfii Herbaceous Seep (CEGL004157)$$ and is surrounded by ~Picea rubens - (Tsuga canadensis) / Rhododendron maximum Swamp Forest (CEGL006277)$$ or forests dominated by Fagus grandifolia, Betula alleghaniensis, Picea rubens, and Quercus rubra, or land cleared from these communities. Most of the Grayson Highlands State Park occurrences are surrounded by cleared lands or northern hardwood forests, while the Giles County occurrence is associated with Quercus rubra-dominated slope forest and acidic cove forests dominated by Tsuga canadensis, Betula alleghaniensis, and Rhododendron maximum. Six plots, all from Virginia, were classified as this association in the Appalachian Trail project (Fleming and Patterson 2009a). Species with 100% constancy include Acer rubrum, Carex trisperma var. trisperma, Eriophorum virginicum, Juncus subcaudatus var. subcaudatus, Kalmia latifolia, Osmunda cinnamomea, Picea rubens, Vaccinium simulatum, and Viola macloskeyi ssp. pallens. Less constant species that have high cover in these plots include Carex atlantica ssp. atlantica, Juncus effusus, Rhododendron catawbiense, Rhododendron maximum, Rhynchospora capitellata, Scirpus cyperinus, and Solidago rugosa.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Examples are structurally variable, but usually have >25% shrub cover and occasionally have nearly 100% shrub cover. The vegetation generally consists of a mosaic of shrub thickets and small herb-dominated areas, much of it underlain by Sphagnum mats. Trees such as Picea rubens, Abies fraseri, Pinus strobus, and Tsuga canadensis may be scattered throughout or may dominate in patches or on the edges. Dominant shrubs include Salix sericea, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Ilex collina, Rhododendron catawbiense, and Rhododendron maximum. Other characteristic woody species include Taxus canadensis (North Carolina only), Picea rubens, Vaccinium simulatum, Rosa palustris, and Salix humilis. Characteristic herbs include Carex atlantica, Carex baileyi, Carex echinata, Carex gynandra, Carex leptalea, Carex lurida, Carex trisperma, Eriophorum virginicum, Galium asprellum, Houstonia serpyllifolia, Juncus effusus, Juncus subcaudatus, Lycopus uniflorus, Osmunda cinnamomea, Oxypolis rigidior, Rhynchospora capitellata, Scirpus cyperinus, Scirpus expansus, Scirpus polyphyllus, Packera aurea (= Senecio aureus), Solidago patula, Solidago rugosa, and Viola macloskeyi ssp. pallens. Sphagnum fuscum, Sphagnum recurvum, and Rhizomnium appalachianum are typical bryophytes. Species richness of six plot-sampled Virginia stands ranges from 20 to 40 taxa per 100 m2 (mean = 31).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: The type occupies non-alluvial wetland habitats at high elevations (1170-1490 m [3850-4900 feet]) in the southern Appalachian Mountains. North Carolina sites occur over amphibolite (a mafic metamorphic rock), while Virginia sites are underlain by rhyolite (a felsic igneous rock) and sandstone. Habitats are situated on slight to moderate slopes (1-10°), sometimes shallow to bedrock, or in shallow, concave basins along seepage-fed headwaters streams. Percent organic matter in soil samples from Virginia plots varies from <2% in gravelly/sandy seepage rills to >45% on hummocks. These soils are very strongly acidic (mean pH = 4.8) with low base status. Surface cover of bryophytes, especially Sphagnum spp. is typically >70%.
Geographic Range: This community is restricted to high elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686719
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.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D323 | 2.C.4.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nd.1 Shrubby-cinquefoil - Canadian Burnet / Inland Sedge Seep Macrogroup | M061 | 2.C.4.Nd.1 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a Catawba Rosebay / Tawny Cottongrass / Peatmoss species Shrub & Herb Seep Group | G184 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
| Alliance | A3381 Prickly Bog Sedge - Roundleaf Goldenrod - Kidneyleaf Grass-of-Parnassus Seep Alliance | A3381 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
| Association | CEGL003913 (Great Laurel, Catawba Rosebay) - Long-stalk Holly - Silky Willow / Tawny Cottongrass Seepage Shrubland | CEGL003913 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Rhododendron (catawbiense, maximum) - Vaccinium simulatum / Carex trisperma - Eriophorum virginicum - Juncus subcaudatus Shrubland (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
>< High Elevation Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< IIE1b. Southern Appalachian Bog Complex (Allard 1990)
>< Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< Southern Appalachian Bog, Long Hope Valley Variant (Weakley and Schafale 1994)
>< High Elevation Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< IIE1b. Southern Appalachian Bog Complex (Allard 1990)
>< Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< Southern Appalachian Bog, Long Hope Valley Variant (Weakley and Schafale 1994)
- 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., K. D. Patterson, and K. Taverna. 2017. The natural communities of Virginia: A classification of ecological community groups and community types. Third approximation. Version 3.0. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. [http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-communities/]
- 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.
- 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.
- 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., 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.
- Weakley, A. S., and M. P. Schafale. 1994. Non-alluvial wetlands of the Southern Blue Ridge: Diversity in a threatened ecosystem. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 77:359-383.
- Wichmann, B. 2009. Vegetation of geographically isolated montane non-alluvial wetlands of the Southern Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Masters thesis, North Carolina State, Raleigh. [http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-05152009-120239/unrestricted/etd.pdf]