Print Report
CEGL003915 Alnus serrulata - Kalmia carolina - Rhododendron catawbiense / Carex folliculata - Lilium grayi Seepage Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Hazel Alder - Carolina Laurel - Catawba Rosebay / Northern Long Sedge - Gray''s Lily Seepage Shrubland
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian Shrub Bog (Typic Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community can occur on flat areas in valley bottoms, on portions where wet conditions are maintained hydrologically by rainwater and a high water table rather than by flooding, or in the upper portions of stream watersheds, on slight slopes, hydrologically maintained by very nutrient-poor to fairly nutrient-rich seepage. This community occurs at elevations from 900-1250 m (3000-4200 feet) in the northern part of its range and, in the southern part of the range, at elevations from 1000-1800 m (3300-5800 feet). This wetland community is dominated by shrubs, occurring over graminoids, forbs, and Sphagnum spp. It has a strong component of species of northern phytogeography occurring in combination with species endemic to the Southern Appalachians, and in association with felsic gneisses or schists and acidic, nutrient-poor seepage. Shrub cover ranges from 25-100%, and trees may be scattered throughout or dominate in patches or on the edges. Ilex verticillata, Salix sericea, Spiraea alba, and Spiraea tomentosa are often dominant, occurring with Alnus serrulata, Rosa palustris, Aronia arbutifolia, Aronia melanocarpa, Rhododendron maximum, Rhododendron viscosum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Kalmia latifolia, Kalmia carolina, Hypericum densiflorum, Lyonia ligustrina var. ligustrina, and Menziesia pilosa. Typical tree species are Pinus strobus, Tsuga canadensis, Pinus rigida, and Picea rubens. Herbaceous cover may be sparse to dense and typically includes Carex atlantica, Carex intumescens, Carex folliculata, Schoenoplectus spp., and Osmunda cinnamomea. Sphagnum spp. include Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum affine, Sphagnum bartlettianum, Sphagnum recurvum, and, rarely, northern disjuncts such as Sphagnum fallax. Other characteristic species include Poa paludigena, Lilium grayi, Platanthera grandiflora, Veratrum virginicum, Stenanthium gramineum var. robustum, Arethusa bulbosa, Calopogon tuberosus, Chelone cuthbertii, Thelypteris simulata, Carex trisperma, Rhizomnium appalachianum, Polytrichum commune, Aulacomnium palustre, and Bazzania trilobata.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This community may dominate a site or occur as a complex with ~Carex atlantica - Solidago patula var. patula - Lilium grayi / Sphagnum bartlettianum Herbaceous Seep (CEGL004158)$$. It is typically surrounded by forests dominated by Picea rubens, Fagus grandifolia, Betula alleghaniensis, Quercus rubra, Tsuga canadensis, and/or Liriodendron tulipifera with dense Rhododendron maximum understories.
Similar non-alluvial wetlands occur in the Blue Ridge, but are distinguished by having a strong component of species of southern phytogeography (Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii, Sarracenia purpurea, Sarracenia oreophila, Smilax laurifolia, Viburnum nudum var. nudum, Rhododendron arborescens, Helonias bullata) or are associated with mafic geology and nutrient-rich seepage.
Similar non-alluvial wetlands occur in the Blue Ridge, but are distinguished by having a strong component of species of southern phytogeography (Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii, Sarracenia purpurea, Sarracenia oreophila, Smilax laurifolia, Viburnum nudum var. nudum, Rhododendron arborescens, Helonias bullata) or are associated with mafic geology and nutrient-rich seepage.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Shrub cover in stands of this association range from 25-100%, and trees may be scattered throughout or dominate in patches or on the edges. Ilex verticillata, Salix sericea, Spiraea alba, and Spiraea tomentosa are often dominant, occurring with Alnus serrulata, Rosa palustris, Aronia arbutifolia, Aronia melanocarpa, Rhododendron maximum, Rhododendron viscosum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Kalmia latifolia, Kalmia carolina, Hypericum densiflorum, Lyonia ligustrina var. ligustrina, and Menziesia pilosa. Typical tree species are Pinus strobus, Tsuga canadensis, Pinus rigida, and Picea rubens. Herbaceous cover may be sparse to dense and typically includes Carex atlantica, Carex intumescens, Carex folliculata, Schoenoplectus spp. (= Scirpus spp.), and Osmunda cinnamomea. Sphagnum spp. include Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum affine (= Sphagnum imbricatum), Sphagnum bartlettianum, Sphagnum recurvum, and, rarely, northern disjuncts such as Sphagnum fallax. Other characteristic species include Poa paludigena, Lilium grayi, Platanthera grandiflora, Veratrum virginicum (= Melanthium virginicum), Stenanthium gramineum var. robustum, Arethusa bulbosa, Calopogon tuberosus, Chelone cuthbertii, Thelypteris simulata, Carex trisperma, Rhizomnium appalachianum, Polytrichum commune, Aulacomnium palustre, and Bazzania trilobata. Eriophorum virginicum and Vaccinium macrocarpon, distributed primarily in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, are found at or near the southern limit of their distribution in this community. Thelypteris simulata occurs disjunct from the northern Coastal Plain. Lilium grayi, Rhododendron catawbiense, Juncus gymnocarpus, and Chelone cuthbertii are endemic to the Southern Blue Ridge or have the bulk of their worldwide range in that region.
Dynamics: Reduction of Sphagnum cover, due to siltation, trampling, or nutrient input, promotes succession by woody species. The successional relationship between this palustrine shrubland and ~Carex atlantica - Solidago patula var. patula - Lilium grayi / Sphagnum bartlettianum Herbaceous Seep (CEGL004158)$$ (Southern Appalachian Herb Bog, Typic Variant) is poorly understood. One known occurrence of this community, dating from 10,000 years B.P., is showing signs of woody succession, suggesting that recent changes may be responsible for promoting vegetative succession to woody species (Weakley and Schafale 1994).
Environmental Description: This community can occur on flat areas in valley bottoms, on portions where wet conditions are maintained hydrologically by rainwater and a high water table rather than by flooding, or in the upper portions of stream watersheds, on slight slopes, hydrologically maintained by very nutrient-poor to fairly nutrient-rich seepage. This community occurs at elevations from 900-1250 m (3000-4200 feet) in the northern part of its range and, in the southern part of the range, at elevations from 1000-1800 m (3300-5800 feet). These occurrences are in association with felsic gneisses or schists and acidic, nutrient-poor seepage.
Geographic Range: This community occurs in western North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, and possibly in eastern Tennessee, on felsic metamorphic rocks in the Southern Blue Ridge.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, SC, TN?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689331
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1G2
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D323 | 2.C.4.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nd.1 Shrubby-cinquefoil - Canadian Burnet / Inland Sedge Seep Macrogroup | M061 | 2.C.4.Nd.1 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a Catawba Rosebay / Tawny Cottongrass / Peatmoss species Shrub & Herb Seep Group | G184 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
| Alliance | A3381 Prickly Bog Sedge - Roundleaf Goldenrod - Kidneyleaf Grass-of-Parnassus Seep Alliance | A3381 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
| Association | CEGL003915 Hazel Alder - Carolina Laurel - Catawba Rosebay / Northern Long Sedge - Gray''s Lily Seepage Shrubland | CEGL003915 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Acidic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< IIE1b. Southern Appalachian Bog Complex (Allard 1990)
? Low Elevation Bog (Wichmann 2009)
>< Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
>< Shrub Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< Southern Appalachian Bog, Typic Variant (Weakley and Schafale 1994)
< IIE1b. Southern Appalachian Bog Complex (Allard 1990)
? Low Elevation Bog (Wichmann 2009)
>< Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
>< Shrub Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< Southern Appalachian Bog, Typic Variant (Weakley and Schafale 1994)
- 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.
- Burt, W. H., and R. P. Grossenheider. 1980. A field guide to the mammals: Field marks of all North America species found north of Mexico. Third edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series No. 5. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 289 pp. plus color plates.
- Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: Eastern and central North America. Third edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series No. 12. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York. 450 pp. plus color plates.
- Kartesz, J. T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, 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.
- 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.
- Weakley, A. S., and M. P. Schafale. 1994. Non-alluvial wetlands of the Southern Blue Ridge: Diversity in a threatened ecosystem. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 77:359-383.
- Wichmann, B. 2009. Vegetation of geographically isolated montane non-alluvial wetlands of the Southern Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Masters thesis, North Carolina State, Raleigh. [http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-05152009-120239/unrestricted/etd.pdf]