Print Report
CEGL007045 Pinus echinata - Quercus velutina - Quercus marilandica / Piptochaetium avenaceum Ultramafic Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Shortleaf Pine - Black Oak - Blackjack Oak / Blackseed Speargrass Ultramafic Woodland
Colloquial Name: Ultramafic Outcrop Barrens (Piedmont Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shortleaf pine - oak woodland is found on soils derived from ultramafic rock such as serpentine, on open slopes or ridgetops. It is an open woodland of drought-tolerant species, often with some mesophytic species co-occurring in unusual combinations. The canopy is dominated by Pinus echinata, Quercus velutina, and Quercus marilandica. An open understory includes Sassafras albidum, Crataegus sp., Nyssa sylvatica, Cornus florida, and Fagus grandifolia. The ground cover is patchy, with Piptochaetium avenaceum, Chasmanthium latifolium, Dichanthelium boscii, and Vitis rotundifolia dominating patches. Other common herbs include Scleria oligantha, Danthonia spicata, Clematis ochroleuca, and Polystichum acrostichoides.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The vegetation of the one known example is probably somewhat altered by lack of fire, and may not be characteristic. The description of this association may need to be updated if more examples are found, but it can be viewed conceptually as applying to any vegetation in this geographic range that is unusually open because of occurrence on ultramafic rock substrate, especially if it has usual combinations of xerophytic and mesophytic species. Most of the other small ultramafic rock bodies in its range support vegetation that is not distinguishable from that on other substrates.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This open woodland is composed of drought-tolerant species, often with some mesophytic species co-occurring in unusual combinations. At Adam Mountain, the canopy is dominated by Pinus echinata and Quercus velutina, with a short component of Quercus marilandica. A sparse understory includes Sassafras albidum, Crataegus sp., Nyssa sylvatica, Cornus florida, and Fagus grandifolia, along with canopy species. The ground cover is patchy, with Piptochaetium avenaceum, Chasmanthium latifolium, Dichanthelium boscii, and Vitis rotundifolia dominating patches. Other common herbs include Scleria oligantha, Danthonia spicata, Clematis ochroleuca, and Polystichum acrostichoides.
Dynamics: Like serpentine barrens elsewhere in eastern North America, soil properties give the community a distinct character but fire is probably important in maintaining natural structure and composition. The one known example has remained an open woodland on a north-facing slope for decades in the absence of fire. Since this example is fire-suppressed, the description of this association is based on a condition that is altered to an unknown degree.
Environmental Description: Soils are derived from ultramafic rock such as serpentine, on open slopes or ridgetops. While this community is apparently maintained as an open woodland by extreme soil chemistry, fire is likely also important for maintaining the natural structure and composition of the community.
Geographic Range: This community occurs in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.866829
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nc Eastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D024 | 2.B.2.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nc.1 Catawba Rosebay / Michaux''s Saxifrage - Flattened Oatgrass Felsic & Mafic Scrub & Grassland Macrogroup | M506 | 2.B.2.Nc.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nc.1.c Little Bluestem - Balsam Groundsel - Prairie Groundsel Appalachian Mafic Glade Group | G180 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.c |
| Alliance | A4679 <i>Pinus rigida - Quercus alba - Quercus stellata</i> Ultramafic Grassy Woodland Alliance | A4679 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.c |
| Association | CEGL007045 Shortleaf Pine - Black Oak - Blackjack Oak / Blackseed Speargrass Ultramafic Woodland | CEGL007045 | 2.B.2.Nc.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Ultramafic Outcrop Barren (Piedmont Subtype) (Schafale 2012)
- 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.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.