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CEGL006422 Juniperus virginiana / Corydalis sempervirens Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern Red-cedar / Rock Harlequin Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Eastern Temperate Acidic Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in the oak - pine - hemlock forest region of the northeastern U.S. The setting is dry vertical exposures of resistant acidic bedrock such as granite, quartzite, sandstone, shale or schist, with little or no soil development. These cliffs are mostly dry but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation. The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices and can vary from well-vegetated to barren across the cliff face. In most cases, overall cover averages less than 25%. The association presents itself as a mixture of open rock, scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. Typical tree species include Juniperus virginiana, Fraxinus americana, Acer rubrum, and Betula papyrifera; none usually grow very large. Individuals of additional tree species from the surrounding forest may also be present; these include Tsuga canadensis, Quercus spp., and Carya spp. Rubus odoratus, Rubus allegheniensis, and Rhus copallinum are representative shrubs. Woody vines include Vitis aestivalis and Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Herbaceous composition varies; typical species include Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, Campanula rotundifolia, Aquilegia canadensis, Corydalis sempervirens, Saxifraga virginiensis, and Woodsia ilvensis. Adlumia fungosa may be found in these habitats; Opuntia humifusa occurs in some of the most southerly occurrences of this association.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices and can vary from well-vegetated to barren across the cliff face. In most cases, overall cover averages less than 25%. The association presents itself as a mixture of open rock, scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. Typical tree species include Juniperus virginiana, Fraxinus americana, Acer rubrum, and Betula papyrifera; none usually grow very large. Individuals of additional tree species from the surrounding forest may also be present; these include Tsuga canadensis, Quercus spp., and Carya spp. Rubus odoratus, Rubus allegheniensis, and Rhus copallinum are representative shrubs. Woody vines include Vitis aestivalis and Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Herbaceous composition varies; typical species include Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, Campanula rotundifolia, Aquilegia canadensis, Corydalis sempervirens, Saxifraga virginiensis, and Woodsia ilvensis. Opuntia humifusa occurs in some of the most southerly occurrences of this association.
Dynamics: This community consists of drought-tolerant species that take advantage of thin layers of soil that form on narrow ledges or in bedrock crevices (Podniesinski 2005). The successional stages of this type vary with resource availability from bare rock outcrops with no vegetation, to outcrops with lichen cover, to outcrops with lichen and moss cover, to outcrops with grass cover, and eventually to rock outcrops with stunted woodland or forest cover. These stages overlap in time and space, depending on resource availability (Collins and Anderson 1994). Species composition is variable given the limited habitat to support vegetation and the unpredictable nature of plant colonization and establishment. Trees are typically absent from this community, but when present, they are usually stunted and less than 10 m in height (Podniesinski 2005). Tree roots may straddle boulders or run horizontally over rock surfaces as they cannot penetrate the rock surface (Collins and Anderson 1994).
Environmental Description: This community is found on cliff faces developed on resistant acidic bedrock such as granite, quartzite, sandstone, shale or schist, with little or no soil development. The outcrops are typically vertical to near-vertical. Exposure varies, and moisture regime likewise varies from dry on the exposed faces to moist on more protected or seepy areas. These cliffs may contain small areas of seepage vegetation among the generally dry substrate. [For extensive seepage cliffs, see the cliff seep association ~Drosera rotundifolia - Viola spp. Cliff Sparse Vegetation (CEGL006429)$$.]
Geographic Range: This type is documented from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; southward and westward extent has not been determined.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CT, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687085
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4
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.c Appalachian Cliff & Rock Vegetation Group | G840 | 6.B.1.Na.1.c |
| Alliance | A2071 Appalachian Acidic Cliff Alliance | A2071 | 6.B.1.Na.1.c |
| Association | CEGL006422 Eastern Red-cedar / Rock Harlequin Cliff Sparse Vegetation | CEGL006422 | 6.B.1.Na.1.c |
Concept Lineage: CEGL006443 merged into CEGL006422.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
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