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CEGL007695 Aesculus flava - Acer saccharum - (Tilia americana var. heterophylla) / Hydrophyllum canadense - Solidago flexicaulis Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Yellow Buckeye - Sugar Maple - (Appalachian Basswood) / Bluntleaf Waterleaf - Zigzag Goldenrod Forest
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian Rich Cove Forest (Montane Calcareous Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association includes forests of protected coves in the southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southwest Virginia. This type extends peripherally into the Cumberland Mountains and Ridge and Valley of southwestern Virginia. These forests are associated with nutrient-rich soils and, often, mafic geologies, and occur on steep, middle to low protected slopes and coves at 610-1400 m (2000-4600 feet) elevation. Examples of this association have deciduous forest canopies dominated by either Acer saccharum, Aesculus flava, Fraxinus americana, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, or Tilia americana var. heterophylla, or by various combinations of these species. Other common canopy species can include Carya cordiformis and Quercus rubra. A shrub stratum is very sparse or absent, and the herbaceous stratum is dense and luxurious, with high species richness. The defining feature of this association is the lush herbaceous flora with many calciphilic species indicative of high pH or circumneutral soils. Characteristic species include Asarum canadense, Carex plantaginea, Cymophyllus fraserianus, Cystopteris protrusa, Deparia acrostichoides, Diplazium pycnocarpon, Dryopteris goldieana, Hepatica nobilis var. acuta, Hydrophyllum canadense, Osmorhiza claytonii, Prosartes lanuginosa, Solidago flexicaulis, and Viola canadensis. The herbaceous stratum can have local dominance by Laportea canadensis, Viola canadensis, Dryopteris intermedia, Actaea podocarpa, Actaea racemosa, and Caulophyllum thalictroides. This forest lacks dominance by Betula alleghaniensis and Fagus grandifolia, and has an herbaceous flora indicative of high-base status soils. This association typically has a much more diverse herbaceous stratum than other deciduous cove forests of the Southern Blue Ridge.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association was originally defined for the richest cove forests in the Great Smoky Mountains and may need revision to apply more generally to similar forests in the Southern Blue Ridge. In the Smokies, relative dominance of canopy species varies among examples of this association. Some examples may have canopies strongly dominated by Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, while others have major canopy dominance by either Acer saccharum, Aesculus flava, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, or Fraxinus americana. Deciduous cove forests are perhaps the most complex group of communities to classify in the Southern Blue Ridge, due to a combination of wide environmental range, high species richness, and high biogeographic variability. The recognition of associations based on fertility and elevation is provisional and will likely need further refinement.
In a regional Southern Appalachian classification (1134 plots from Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia) for the Appalachian Trail project (Fleming and Patterson 2009a), 40 plots were classified as this association. Soils collected from these plots are generally strongly or moderately acidic (perhaps influenced by slow organic matter decomposition), but have high calcium and magnesium concentrations consistent with weathering from mafic and other base-rich rocks. The most constant (>70%) species with mean cover <1% in the 40 analyzed plots are Acer saccharum, Polystichum acrostichoides, Laportea canadensis, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Aesculus flava, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Fraxinus americana, Actaea racemosa, Prosartes lanuginosa, Viola canadensis, Osmorhiza claytonii, Dryopteris marginalis, Dryopteris intermedia, Hydrophyllum canadense, Impatiens pallida, and Carya cordiformis. The most diagnostic species (relative to similar types) are Hydrophyllum canadense, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Laportea canadensis, Viola canadensis var. canadensis, Astilbe biternata, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Solidago flexicaulis, and Aesculus flava. In both the Appalachian Trail analysis and a subsequent 1300-plot analysis of all Virginia montane upland forest and woodland vegetation (Fleming and Patterson 2009b), this type was clearly distinct from a group representing ~Liriodendron tulipifera - Fraxinus americana - (Aesculus flava) / Actaea racemosa - Laportea canadensis Forest (CEGL007710)$$, a somewhat lower-elevation rich cove forest with abundant Liriodendron tulipifera. The latter is infrequent and rarely attains significant cover in this association (CEGL007695), which can be generally characterized as a "sugar maple-buckeye-basswood" forest.
In a regional Southern Appalachian classification (1134 plots from Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia) for the Appalachian Trail project (Fleming and Patterson 2009a), 40 plots were classified as this association. Soils collected from these plots are generally strongly or moderately acidic (perhaps influenced by slow organic matter decomposition), but have high calcium and magnesium concentrations consistent with weathering from mafic and other base-rich rocks. The most constant (>70%) species with mean cover <1% in the 40 analyzed plots are Acer saccharum, Polystichum acrostichoides, Laportea canadensis, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Aesculus flava, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Fraxinus americana, Actaea racemosa, Prosartes lanuginosa, Viola canadensis, Osmorhiza claytonii, Dryopteris marginalis, Dryopteris intermedia, Hydrophyllum canadense, Impatiens pallida, and Carya cordiformis. The most diagnostic species (relative to similar types) are Hydrophyllum canadense, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Laportea canadensis, Viola canadensis var. canadensis, Astilbe biternata, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Solidago flexicaulis, and Aesculus flava. In both the Appalachian Trail analysis and a subsequent 1300-plot analysis of all Virginia montane upland forest and woodland vegetation (Fleming and Patterson 2009b), this type was clearly distinct from a group representing ~Liriodendron tulipifera - Fraxinus americana - (Aesculus flava) / Actaea racemosa - Laportea canadensis Forest (CEGL007710)$$, a somewhat lower-elevation rich cove forest with abundant Liriodendron tulipifera. The latter is infrequent and rarely attains significant cover in this association (CEGL007695), which can be generally characterized as a "sugar maple-buckeye-basswood" forest.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association represents forests of medium- to high-elevation protected coves in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Tree canopies are dominated by variable mixtures of Acer saccharum, Aesculus flava, Fraxinus americana, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, and Tilia americana var. heterophylla. In the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, relative dominance of canopy species varies from site to site, with some stands strongly dominated by Halesia tetraptera var. monticola. Other common canopy species are Carya cordiformis and Quercus rubra. The shrub layer is very sparse or absent, but the herb layer is dense and luxuriant, with relatively high species richness. A defining feature of this association is the lush herbaceous flora with many calciphilic species indicative of high pH or base-rich soils. Characteristic herbs include Asarum canadense, Carex plantaginea, Cymophyllus fraserianus, Cystopteris protrusa, Deparia acrostichoides, Diplazium pycnocarpon, Dryopteris goldieana, Hepatica nobilis var. acuta, Hydrophyllum canadense, Osmorhiza claytonii, Prosartes lanuginosa (= Disporum lanuginosum), Solidago flexicaulis, and Viola canadensis. The herb layer can also have local dominance by Laportea canadensis, Dryopteris intermedia, Actaea podocarpa (= Cimicifuga americana), Actaea racemosa (= Cimicifuga racemosa), Ageratina altissima, and Caulophyllum thalictroides. This association typically has a much more diverse herbaceous stratum than other deciduous cove forests of the Southern Blue Ridge. Virginia stands of this association entirely lack Halesia tetraptera var. monticola and are dominated by Acer saccharum, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Fraxinus americana, and Aesculus flava. The most abundant herbs recorded in Virginia plots are Laportea canadensis, Actaea racemosa, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Impatiens pallida, Trillium sulcatum, Hydrophyllum canadense, Hydrophyllum macrophyllum, Viola canadensis, Dicentra canadensis, and Delphinium tricorne. Many additional herbs occur at low cover. Species richness in plots south of Virginia ranges from 35-94 taxa (mean = 58) per 1000-m2 plot (n = 30 plots). Species richness in 13 400-m2 plots from Virginia ranges from 33-60 taxa (mean = 46).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: In the southern part of its range, this vegetation type occurs on protected, concave landforms, at elevations ranging from 610-1400 m (2000-4600 feet). It is associated with nutrient-rich soils and often with mafic substrates, occurring on steep, middle to lower, protected slopes and in coves. In Virginia, the type is restricted to an elevational range from about 760-1220 m (-2500-4000 feet). Virginia sites supporting this community are on strongly concave, moderately steep (mean = 17°) slopes with north to east aspects. Underlying bedrock includes igneous metamorphic formations in the Blue Ridge, and calcareous shale, calcareous mudstone, and calcareous sandstone in the Ridge and Valley and Cumberland Mountains. Surface cover of bedrock and boulders ranges from 0-35%. Dark, apparently fertile, loamy soils at plot sampling sites are moderately acidic (mean pH = 5.6) but have high levels of calcium, magnesium, manganese, and total base saturation.
Geographic Range: This association occurs in the southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. It likely ranges into the Blue Ridge of Georgia and extends peripherally into Virginia''s Cumberland Mountains and Ridge and Valley.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, GA, NC, TN, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687951
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.3 Appalachian-Interior-Northeastern Mesic Forest Macrogroup | M883 | 1.B.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.3.a American Beech - Tuliptree - Yellow Buckeye Forest Group | G020 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
| Alliance | A0235 Tuliptree - Appalachian Basswood - Yellow Buckeye Forest Alliance | A0235 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
| Association | CEGL007695 Yellow Buckeye - Sugar Maple - (Appalachian Basswood) / Bluntleaf Waterleaf - Zigzag Goldenrod Forest | CEGL007695 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acer saccharum - Tilia americana var. heterophylla - Fraxinus americana / Actaea podocarpa - Sanicula odorata - (Phacelia fimbriata) Forest (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
< Mixed Mesophytic Forest (Braun 1950)
? Open Slope Mesophytic Forest (Rheinhardt and Ware 1984)
< Sugar Maple - Basswood: 26 (Eyre 1980)
< Mixed Mesophytic Forest (Braun 1950)
? Open Slope Mesophytic Forest (Rheinhardt and Ware 1984)
< Sugar Maple - Basswood: 26 (Eyre 1980)
- ALNHP [Alabama Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data on file. Alabama Natural Heritage Program, Auburn University.
- Braun, E. L. 1950. Deciduous forests of eastern North America. Hafner Press, New York. 596 pp.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 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 K. D. Patterson. 2009b. Classification of selected Virginia montane wetland groups. In-house analysis, December 2009. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond.
- 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.
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Patterson, K. D., C. J. Ulrey, and J. Drake. 1999. Vegetation classification of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Cades Cove and Mount Le Conte quadrangles. Unpublished report submitted to BRD-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program. The Nature Conservancy, Chapel Hill, NC.
- 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.
- Rheinhardt, R. D., and S. A. Ware. 1984. The vegetation of the Balsam Mountains of southwestern Virginia: A phytosociological study. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 111:287-300.
- 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.