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CEGL004074 Schizachyrium scoparium - Saxifraga michauxii - Coreopsis major Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Little Bluestem - Michaux''s Saxifrage - Greater Tickseed Grassland
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian High-Elevation Rocky Summit (Little Bluestem Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association covers high-elevation rocky summits in the Southern Appalachians occurring at elevations of from 1260 to 1715 m (4125-5625 feet) on outcrops of mafic rock or on felsic rock where perennial seepage exists. Vegetative cover is sparse and consists of graminoids, forbs, and shrubs which are rooted in rock fissures. Typical species include Saxifraga michauxii, Coreopsis major, Schizachyrium scoparium, Kalmia latifolia, Dichanthelium acuminatum, Danthonia spicata, and Paronychia argyrocoma. This community is surrounded by deciduous forests dominated by Quercus rubra, Acer rubrum var. rubrum, and occasionally Tsuga caroliniana. Other characteristic species include Campanula divaricata, Solidago bicolor, and Allium allegheniense.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: In an 1134-plot regional analysis (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia) for the Southern Appalachian portion of the Appalachian Trail, eight plots were classified as this association (Fleming and Patterson 2009a). Plots are from Bluff Mountain, Phoenix Mountain, Hawksbill Rock, and Three Top Mountain (all NC). This group was intensively compared to the group representing ~(Kalmia latifolia, Physocarpus opulifolius) / Schizachyrium scoparium - Thalictrum revolutum - Sibbaldiopsis tridentata Shrub Grassland (CEGL004238)$$, a related, high-elevation mafic outcrop type. Both types feature constant Schizachyrium scoparium and Coreopsis major, but the two are otherwise found to be distinct in both physiognomy and floristic composition. Some examples of this association (CEGL004074) might well be considered sparse vegetation; both mean total vegetative cover and mean species richness are almost twice as high in the CEGL004238 group. In this comparative analysis, the most diagnostic species of CEGL004074 are Carex brunnescens ssp. sphaerostachya, Carex umbellata, Clethra acuminata, Houstonia purpurea var. montana, Hypericum mitchellianum, Kalmia latifolia, Krigia montana, Paronychia argyrocoma, Polypodium appalachianum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Saxifraga michauxii, and Hylotelephium telephioides. Species richness averages 23 taxa / sample.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetative cover in stands of this type is sparse and consists of graminoids, forbs, and shrubs rooted in rock fissures. Typical species include Saxifraga michauxii, Coreopsis major, Schizachyrium scoparium, Kalmia latifolia, Dichanthelium acuminatum, Danthonia spicata, and Paronychia argyrocoma. This community is surrounded by deciduous forests dominated by Quercus rubra, Acer rubrum var. rubrum, and occasionally Tsuga caroliniana. Other characteristic species include Campanula divaricata, Solidago bicolor, and Allium allegheniense.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This vegetation is found in association with high-elevation rocky summits in the Southern Appalachians occurring at elevations of from 1260 to 1715 m (4125-5625 feet) , on outcrops of mafic rock or on felsic rock where perennial seepage occurs.
Geographic Range: This association is restricted to covers high-elevation rocky summits in the Southern Appalachians occurring at elevations of from 1260 to 1715 m (4125-5625 feet).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686977
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.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 | CEGL004074 Little Bluestem - Michaux''s Saxifrage - Greater Tickseed Grassland | CEGL004074 | 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: ? Coreopsis major / Schizachyrium scoparium outcrop community (Wiser 1993)
? Coreopsis major / Schizachyrium scoparium outcrop community (Wiser et al. 1996)
= Schizachyrium scoparium - Saxifraga michauxii - Coreopsis major Herbaceous Vegetation (Fleming and Patterson 2009a)
< IE4a. Southern Appalachian High Elevation Acidic Rocky Summit (Allard 1990)
? Coreopsis major / Schizachyrium scoparium outcrop community (Wiser et al. 1996)
= Schizachyrium scoparium - Saxifraga michauxii - Coreopsis major 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.
- 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. 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.