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CEGL007692 Quercus alba - Quercus rubra - Quercus montana / Collinsonia canadensis - Podophyllum peltatum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Oak - Northern Red Oak - Chestnut Oak / Richweed - Mayapple Forest
Colloquial Name: Appalachian Montane Oak - Hickory Forest (Rich Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association includes forests dominated by Quercus alba, Quercus velutina, Quercus rubra, or Carya glabra, Carya tomentosa, or Carya ovalis, occurring over circumneutral soils in the Southern Blue Ridge and adjacent inner Piedmont. These forests can occur across a broad elevation range (530-1375 m [1750-4500 feet]) in exposed topographic settings (upper slopes), as well as on more protected sites (edges of coves). Presumed upper Piedmont examples may be at lower elevations (e.g., below 305 m [1000 feet]). Other species that can be important in the canopy include Quercus coccinea, Quercus montana, and occasionally Liriodendron tulipifera where large gaps in the canopy have allowed for its generation On some sites, species more typical of "cove forests," such as Fraxinus americana or Magnolia acuminata, may form a very minor component. Oxydendrum arboreum and Cornus florida are common in the subcanopy. Heath species (Rhododendron maximum or Kalmia latifolia) are absent or very minor in the shrub stratum. On very high-base status soils, Philadelphus hirsutus or Lindera benzoin may be in the shrub stratum. The herbaceous stratum can be quite diverse and is characterized by mesic herbs and species associated with circumneutral soils, such as Podophyllum peltatum, Arisaema triphyllum, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Adiantum pedatum, Collinsonia canadensis, Asplenium platyneuron, Brachyelytrum erectum, Actaea racemosa, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Sanguinaria canadensis, Tradescantia subaspera, Euphorbia purpurea, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, Polystichum acrostichoides, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, and Dryopteris intermedia.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association was originally defined based on occurrence information in the North Carolina Blue Ridge. More information is needed to better describe and define this association and its geographic distribution. Additional data on apparent occurrences have been collected in the Chattahoochee and Cherokee national forests. In a regional analysis for the Appalachian Trail project and a follow-up comparative analysis with ~Quercus rubra - Tilia americana var. heterophylla - (Halesia tetraptera var. monticola) / Collinsonia canadensis - Prosartes lanuginosa Forest (CEGL007878)$$, 31 plots from Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee were classified as this type (Fleming and Patterson 2009a). The most constant and abundant species in these plots are Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Carya glabra, Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer rubrum, Fraxinus americana, Betula lenta, Magnolia acuminata, Castanea dentata, Cornus florida, Toxicodendron radicans, Smilax rotundifolia, Collinsonia canadensis, Actaea racemosa, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum, Solidago curtisii, Polystichum acrostichoides, Eurybia divaricata, and Desmodium nudiflorum.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association includes forests dominated by Quercus alba. Other species that can be important in the canopy include Quercus rubra, Quercus coccinea, Quercus montana (= Quercus prinus), Quercus velutina, Carya glabra, and Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba). On some sites, species more typical of "cove forests," such as Fraxinus americana or Magnolia acuminata, may form a very minor component. Oxydendrum arboreum and Cornus florida are common in the subcanopy. Heath species (Rhododendron maximum or Kalmia latifolia) are absent or very minor in the shrub stratum. On very high-base status soils, Philadelphus hirsutus or Lindera benzoin may be in the shrub stratum. Other woody species may include Cercis canadensis, Viburnum acerifolium, and Ulmus alata. The herbaceous stratum can be quite diverse and is characterized by mesic herbs and species associated with circumneutral soils, such as Podophyllum peltatum, Arisaema triphyllum, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Adiantum pedatum, Collinsonia canadensis, Asplenium platyneuron, Actaea racemosa (= Cimicifuga racemosa), Caulophyllum thalictroides, Sanguinaria canadensis, Tradescantia subaspera, Euphorbia purpurea, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, Polystichum acrostichoides, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Brachyelytrum erectum, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, and Dryopteris intermedia. A stand included here from Chilhowee Mountain in the Cherokee National Forest also includes Ageratina altissima var. altissima, Arabis canadensis, Aristolochia serpentaria, Asplenium platyneuron, Desmodium nudiflorum, Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa, Monarda fistulosa, Sanicula canadensis, Scutellaria elliptica, Silene stellata, Smallanthus uvedalius, Solidago lancifolia, Solidago simplex var. spathulata (= Solidago spathulata), Spigelia marilandica, Tradescantia subaspera, and Uvularia perfoliata.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association includes forests codominated by Quercus alba, occurring over nutrient-rich soils in the Southern Blue Ridge and adjacent Piedmont. These forests can occur across a broad elevational range, from 610 to 1372 m (2000-4500 feet), and can occur in exposed topographic settings (upper slopes and broad ridgetops), as well as on more protected sites (edges of coves). Presumed upper Piedmont examples may be at lower elevations (e.g., below 305 m [1000 feet]). Soils collected from plots of this association are strongly acidic with high organic matter content, but have higher magnesium and calcium levels than most other Southern Appalachian soils (Fleming and Patterson 2009a).
Geographic Range: This community occurs in the Southern Blue Ridge and adjacent inner Piedmont of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee in the eastern United States.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA, NC, SC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688748
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.2 Appalachian-Northeastern Oak - Hardwood - Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M502 | 1.B.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.2.a Chestnut Oak - Hickory species / American Chestnut Forest Group | G015 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Alliance | A4390 White Oak - Northern Red Oak - Quercus montana Forest Alliance | A4390 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007692 White Oak - Northern Red Oak - Chestnut Oak / Richweed - Mayapple Forest | CEGL007692 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Montane Oak-Hickory Forest (Basic Subtype) (Schafale 2012)
- 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.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 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. 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.
- Schafale, Mike P. Personal communication. Ecologist, North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.