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CEGL006157 Pinus rigida - Quercus ilicifolia - Rhododendron canadense Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Pitch Pine / Bear Oak / Rhodora Woodland
Colloquial Name: Mesic Till Plain Barrens
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mesic pine barren community is restricted to the eastern portion of the High Allegheny ecoregion. Unlike all other pine barrens associations that occur in xeric habitats, this association occurs on deep, fine-loamy Illinoisan till. The origin of this association is not known definitively, but there is much evidence to suggest that that this community has likely persisted in this environment as a result of frequent fire. The canopy is dominated by Pinus rigida, with Acer rubrum as a common associate. The understory is characterized by Quercus ilicifolia, with associated heaths Vaccinium angustifolium and Kalmia angustifolia. Rhododendron canadense is the most characteristic shrub of this association. The herbaceous layer is characterized by Pteridium aquilinum, Calamagrostis coarctata, Carex pensylvanica, Patis racemosa, and Rubus hispidus. Other associates include Amianthium muscitoxicum, Doellingeria umbellata, as well as the rare plants Carex polymorpha and Lygodium palmatum. The mesic soil conditions and presence of Rhododendron canadense, Carex polymorpha, Amianthium muscitoxicum, Lygodium palmatum differentiate this association from other related associations in this alliance.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This community is closely related to the ridgetop pitch pine-scrub oak associations in the low mountainous regions of New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. It differs primarily in the presence of Rhododendron canadense and some species of grasses and sedges. It occurs in Monroe County as part of a larger complex of Pinus rigida - Quercus ilicifolia vegetation locally known as the Long Pond Barrens system. This type is also known as "Poconos Till Barrens."
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is essentially shrub-dominated with Quercus ilicifolia forming a dense tall-shrub layer (1-3 m) and Rhododendron canadense and Kalmia angustifolia occurring in a lower (less than 1 m) shrub layer. Together they form an interlocking shrub canopy with greater than 60% cover. Scattered Pinus rigida is characteristically present. A few other ericaceous shrubs such as Vaccinium angustifolium, Gaultheria procumbens, and Gaylussacia baccata are usually present. The herbaceous layer typically includes the grasses Calamagrostis coarctata (= Calamagrostis cinnoides), Oryzopsis asperifolia, Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, the sedges Carex polymorpha, Carex vestita, Carex pensylvanica, and the forbs Pteridium aquilinum, Melampyrum lineare.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: The Monroe County occurrence is on relatively fine-textured, compact till which appears to be less permeable than the typical "pine barren" sands. The Poconos soils are seasonally wet in spots but subject to drought in summer. Shallow depressions within the barrens tend to form permanent closed basins and frost pockets which influence the composition of the community.
Geographic Range: This community is known primarily from the Pocono Mountain region in Monroe County of eastern Pennsylvania; small patches also occur in the Shawangunk Mountains of southeastern New York. Probably not in West Virginia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NY, PA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688955
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.h Pitch Pine - Virginia Pine - Bear Oak Woodland & Barrens Group | G906 | 1.B.2.Na.2.h |
| Alliance | A4372 Pitch Pine Rocky Woodland Alliance | A4372 | 1.B.2.Na.2.h |
| Association | CEGL006157 Pitch Pine / Bear Oak / Rhodora Woodland | CEGL006157 | 1.B.2.Na.2.h |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Scrub Oak barren + Heath barren + Rhodora barren (Latham et al. 1996)
? Scrub Oak barren + Heath barren + Rhodora barren (Anderson and Davis 1998)
? Scrub Oak barren + Heath barren + Rhodora barren (Eberhardt and Latham 2000)
? Scrub Oak barren + Heath barren + Rhodora barren (Anderson and Davis 1998)
? Scrub Oak barren + Heath barren + Rhodora barren (Eberhardt and Latham 2000)
- Anderson, D. S., and R. B. Davis. 1998. The flora and vegetation of Maine peatlands. Maine Agriculture and Forest Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 170. Orono, ME. 98 pp.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Eberhardt, R. W., and R. E. Latham. 2000. Relationships among vegetation, surficial geology and soil water content at the Pocono Mesic Till Barrens. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Club 127:115-124.
- Fike, J. 1999. Terrestrial and palustrine plant communities of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Recreation, Bureau of Forestry, Harrisburg, PA. 86 pp.
- Grossman, D. H., K. Lemon Goodin, and C. L. Reuss, editors. 1994. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States: An initial survey. The Nature Conservancy. Arlington, VA. 620 pp.
- Latham, R. E., J. E. Thompson, S. A. Riley, and A. W. Wibiralske. 1996. The Pocono till barrens: Shrub savanna persisting on soils favoring forest. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 123:330-349.
- Smith, T. L. No date (a). Natural ecological communities of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory, East, Harrisburg, PA. 97 pp.