Print Report
CEGL004708 Hydrangea arborescens / Impatiens capensis - Heuchera villosa Cliff Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Wild Hydrangea / Orange Jewelweed - Hairy Alumroot Cliff Shrubland
Colloquial Name: Highland Rim Limestone Cliff/Talus Seep
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association includes forb-dominated seepage vegetation from low to moderate elevations (about 305-400 m [1000-1300 feet]) in the Interior Low Plateau, Highland Rim Section. Examples are found on saturated, sloping to concave to near-vertical exposures of gray calcareous mudstones and/or siltstones of the Fort Payne Formation, as well as on other calcareous substrates, and on the walls of sinkholes which develop in the St. Louis Limestone at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. These exposures vary greatly in size, from about 10 to perhaps 50 square meters. The seeps occur where blocky limestones with vertical fissures and joints overlie more flatly bedded strata. Herbs observed include Impatiens capensis, Impatiens pallida, Heuchera villosa, Saxifraga virginiensis, Dodecatheon meadia, Cardamine diphylla, Polymnia canadensis, and Thaspium pinnatifidum (sensu lato). They are primarily herbaceous systems but may be ringed by shrubs. Hydrangea arborescens is invariably present and often dominant in this marginal shrub zone; other shrubs present include Staphylea trifolia and Hypericum prolificum. Sheltered areas under rock overhangs or boulders may harbor thallose liverworts and various mosses, including Mnium sp. This distinctive vegetation is maintained by seepage from the siltstones; this seepage and the steep irregular topography do not allow trees to take hold and dominate the community. In a sparsely vegetated variant on near-vertical, gently concave exposures of gray siltstone talus of the Fort Payne, Polymnia canadensis and Heuchera villosa dominate; also present in this variant are Pellaea atropurpurea, Monarda fistulosa, and Packera obovata.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: These habitats are commonly utilized by a variety of salamanders. The Heuchera villosa present in this community has often been treated as Heuchera villosa var. macrorhiza, now recognized by Kartesz (1999) as Heuchera villosa var. villosa. Vegetation related to this ("Calcareous Seep") is reported from Mississippi; its precise composition needs to be verified.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands are characterized by moderate cover of Hydrangea arborescens over scattered and variable herbs, ferns, and nonvascular plants. Herbs observed include Impatiens capensis, Impatiens pallida, Heuchera villosa, Saxifraga virginiensis, Dodecatheon meadia, Cardamine diphylla, Polymnia canadensis, and Thaspium pinnatifidum (sensu lato). Other Heuchera spp. may be present. Some examples are primarily herbaceous, but may be ringed by shrubs. Hydrangea arborescens is invariably present and often dominant in this marginal shrub zone; other shrubs present include Staphylea trifolia and Hypericum prolificum. Sheltered areas under rock overhangs or boulders may harbor thallose liverworts and various mosses, including Mnium sp. In a sparsely vegetated variant on near-vertical, gently concave exposures of gray siltstone talus of the Fort Payne, Polymnia canadensis and Heuchera villosa dominate; also present in this variant are Pellaea atropurpurea, Monarda fistulosa, and Packera obovata (= Senecio obovatus).
Dynamics: The seeps occur where blocky limestones with vertical fissures and joints overlie more flatly bedded strata. This distinctive vegetation is maintained by seepage from the siltstones; this seepage and the steep irregular topography do not allow trees to take hold and dominate the community.
Environmental Description: This association includes forb-dominated seepage vegetation from low to moderate elevations (about 300-400 m [1000-1300 feet]) in the Interior Low Plateau, Highland Rim Section. Examples are found on saturated, sloping to concave to near-vertical exposures of gray calcareous mudstones and/or siltstones of the Fort Payne Formation, as well as on other calcareous substrates, as in sinkholes which develop in the St. Louis Limestone at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. These exposures vary greatly in size, from about 10 to perhaps 50 square meters.
Geographic Range: This association is well-distributed in the Eastern and Western Highland Rim of Tennessee, extending north at least into south-central Kentucky (at Mammoth Cave National Park), and may range as far south and west as Alabama and northeastern Mississippi.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL?, KY, MS?, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686752
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.d Central Midwest-Interior Cliff & Rock Vegetation Group | G841 | 6.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Alliance | A2073 Wild Hydrangea / Hairy Alumroot Interior Seepage Cliff Alliance | A2073 | 6.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Association | CEGL004708 Wild Hydrangea / Orange Jewelweed - Hairy Alumroot Cliff Shrubland | CEGL004708 | 6.B.1.Na.1.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Hydrangea arborescens / Impatiens (capensis, pallida) - Heuchera villosa Shrubland (Pyne 1997)
- MSNHP [Mississippi Natural Heritage Program]. 2006. Ecological communities of Mississippi. Museum of Natural Science, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Jackson, MS. 9 pp.
- Nordman, C., M. Russo, and L. Smart. 2011. Vegetation types of the Natchez Trace Parkway, based on the U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe Central Databases (International Ecological Classification Standard: Terrestrial Ecological Classifications). Arlington, VA. Data current as of 11 April 2011. 548 pp.
- Pyne, M. 1997. Biodiversity of Beaman Park Property -- Davidson County, Tennessee: A report on the vegetation, rare plant species, and invasive exotic plant species. Unpublished report to Lose and Associates, Nashville, TN. 20 pp.
- Pyne, M., E. Lunsford Jones, and R. White. 2010. Vascular plant inventory and plant community classification for Mammoth Cave National Park. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 334 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.