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CEGL007041 Acer rubrum / Viburnum nudum - Aronia arbutifolia / Smilax laurifolia / Carex debilis var. pubera Seep Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Red Maple / Possumhaw - Red Chokeberry / Laurel Greenbrier / White-edge Sedge Seep Forest
Colloquial Name: Piedmont-Blue Ridge Springhead Seepage Swamp Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community occurs in seepage-fed wetlands in the upper Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions, on lower slopes or in the edges of bottomlands in places that are not actively flooded. The vegetation is generally a closed or nearly closed forest, if there has not been recent disturbance. It includes a variety of plants that are more characteristic of Coastal Plain wetlands than of the Blue Ridge or upper Piedmont where it occurs. The dominant canopy species are generally Acer rubrum var. trilobum and Nyssa sp. Dominant or frequent shrubs include Viburnum nudum var. nudum, Alnus serrulata, Aronia arbutifolia, Ilex verticillata, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium fuscatum, Itea virginica, and Toxicodendron vernix. The herb layer may be fairly diverse. Species include Carex debilis var. pubera, Carex leptalea, Carex lurida, Carex atlantica ssp. atlantica, Carex atlantica ssp. capillacea, Woodwardia areolata, Osmunda cinnamomea, Lycopus virginicus, Leersia virginica, and Chelone sp.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Analysis of plot data by Seymour (2011) found this to be a distinct group, confined to the upper Piedmont. She did not address Blue Ridge wetlands, but Schafale (2012) believes the few springhead swamps in the North Carolina Blue Ridge can be combined here. [These Blue Ridge communities were formerly classified as ~Acer rubrum var. trilobum - Nyssa sylvatica / Osmunda cinnamomea - Carex intumescens / Sphagnum lescurii Seep Forest (CEGL007443)$$.] Seymour''s analysis included within this group several middle Piedmont wetlands that are known to be degraded examples of more open bogs, i.e., ~Acer rubrum var. trilobum / Morella caroliniensis - Gaylussacia frondosa / Andropogon glomeratus - (Sarracenia flava) Seep Woodland (CEGL004781)$$. This is presumably because their most characteristic herbaceous flora has been lost. These should be regarded as degraded examples of CEGL004781 rather than treated as examples of this natural association.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation is generally a closed or nearly closed forest, if there has not been recent disturbance. It includes a variety of plants that are more characteristic of Coastal Plain wetlands than of the Blue Ridge or upper Piedmont where it occurs. The dominant canopy species are generally Acer rubrum var. trilobum and Nyssa sp. (Some are identifiable as Nyssa biflora, while others are ambiguous and probably represent a wetland variety of Nyssa sylvatica). Liriodendron tulipifera or Fraxinus pennsylvanica may also be present. There is generally little subcanopy. The shrub layer is well-developed and often diverse. Viburnum nudum var. nudum is often dominant. Other shrubs include Alnus serrulata, Aronia arbutifolia, Ilex verticillata, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium fuscatum, Itea virginica, and Toxicodendron vernix. Vines may be prominent, including Smilax laurifolia, Toxicodendron radicans, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Smilax walteri, Smilax rotundifolia, and Decumaria barbara. The herb layer may be fairly diverse. Species include Carex debilis var. pubera (= Carex allegheniensis), Carex leptalea, Carex lurida, Carex atlantica ssp. atlantica, Carex atlantica ssp. capillacea (= Carex howei), Woodwardia areolata, Osmunda cinnamomea, Lycopus virginicus, Leersia virginica, and Chelone sp. The endangered Sagittaria fasciculata occurs in a few examples.
Dynamics: Not well-known. Permanent or near-permanent saturation by seepage is presumably crucial. Fire may be an important influence, and it is possible that these communities would have more open vegetation under a more natural fire regime.
Environmental Description: This community occurs in seepage-fed wetlands in the upper Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions, on lower slopes or in the edges of bottomlands in places that are not actively flooded. Some settings are amphitheater-like recesses in upland slopes. Multiple seepage areas and rivulets are sometimes visible.
Geographic Range: This streamside seepage vegetation is known in the upper Piedmont and Blue Ridge of North Carolina and South Carolina. It could occur in Georgia as well.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA?, NC, SC
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.866624
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Na Eastern North American-Great Plains Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D011 | 1.B.3.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Na.2 Pin Oak - Green Ash - Blackgum Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M503 | 1.B.3.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.2.a Red Maple - Blackgum - Sweetgum Seepage Forest Group | G044 | 1.B.3.Na.2.a |
| Alliance | A3358 Red Maple / Hazel Alder - Common Winterberry Appalachian-Piedmont Seepage Forest Alliance | A3358 | 1.B.3.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007041 Red Maple / Possumhaw - Red Chokeberry / Laurel Greenbrier / White-edge Sedge Seep Forest | CEGL007041 | 1.B.3.Na.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Infertile Swampy Seeps (Seymour 2011)
= Springhead Swamp (Rayner 1994)
= Springhead Swamp (Rayner 1994)
- 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.
- Rayner, D. A. 1994. Inventory of the Natural Areas of the Pacolet Area (Polk County, North Carolina and upper Greenville and Spartanburg counties, South Carolina). Report to Conservation Trust for North Carolina, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, and Pacolet Area Conservancy. Raleigh, NC.
- 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.
- Seymour, S. D. 2011 Vegetation of non-alluvial wetlands of the southeastern Piedmont. M.S. thesis, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.