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CEGL007048 Physocarpus opulifolius - Alnus serrulata / Osmunda regalis - Parnassia grandifolia - Eryngium integrifolium Seepage Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Common Ninebark - Hazel Alder / Royal Fern - Largeleaf Grass-of-Parnassus - Blueflower Eryngo Seepage Shrubland
Colloquial Name: Georgia Blue Ridge Ultramafic Fen (Shrub Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shrub-dominated seepage vegetation is apparently restricted to the northern Georgia Blue Ridge and is associated with a ring of ultramafic geology that surrounds Brasstown Bald. A similar type of vegetation occurs on Bluff Mountain in North Carolina. This community has a somewhat mixed physiognomy ranging from shrub thicket with small scattered patches of open herbaceous vegetation. In general it occurs as a saturated shrubland dominated by Physocarpus opulifolius, Alnus serrulata, Aronia arbutifolia, Acer rubrum var. trilobum, and Hypericum prolificum. The herbaceous layer is relatively patchy but is quite diverse. Herbaceous species include Osmunda regalis, Oxypolis rigidior, Parnassia grandifolia, Eryngium integrifolium, Calopogon tuberosus, Andropogon glomeratus, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Schizachyrium scoparium, Xyris torta, Viola cucullata, Rhynchospora capitellata, Thelypteris palustris, Fuirena squarrosa, Rudbeckia fulgida, Solidago patula, Trautvetteria caroliniensis, Vernonia noveboracensis, and Aristida longespica.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Known from one location in the Brasstown Valley and notable for its unusual assemblage of species that are affiliated with mafic substrates and very unusual in the Georgia Blue Ridge. A similar type of vegetation occurs on Bluff Mountain in North Carolina.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community has a somewhat mixed physiognomy ranging from shrub thicket with small scattered patches of open herbaceous vegetation. In general it occurs as a saturated shrubland dominated by Physocarpus opulifolius, Alnus serrulata, Aronia arbutifolia, Acer rubrum var. trilobum, and Hypericum prolificum. The herbaceous layer is relatively patchy but is quite diverse. Herbaceous species include Osmunda regalis, Oxypolis rigidior, Parnassia grandifolia, Eryngium integrifolium, Calopogon tuberosus, Andropogon glomeratus, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Schizachyrium scoparium, Xyris torta, Viola cucullata, Rhynchospora capitellata, Thelypteris palustris, Fuirena squarrosa, Rudbeckia fulgida, Solidago patula, Trautvetteria caroliniensis, Vernonia noveboracensis, and Aristida longespica.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This shrub-dominated seepage vegetation is apparently restricted to the northern Georgia Blue Ridge and is associated with a ring of ultramafic geology that surrounds Brasstown Bald. The solitary known example of this association occurs in a seepage area underlain by ultramafic geology at an elevation of around 700 m (2100 feet). It occurs on a part of a ring of volcanic rock that encircles Brasstown Bald. This is a small-patch occurrence covering only a few hundred square meters. Currently this site is maintained by mechanical thinning of woody vegetation; presumably fire or exceptional hydrology have been factors in historically keeping the shrub layer open enough to provide light conditions necessary for the characteristic herbaceous species that require full sunlight.
Geographic Range: This community is currently known only from the Southern Blue Ridge plateau of Georgia. It is restricted to a ring of ultramafic rock that encircles Brasstown Bald. Only one example has been located in Brasstown Valley.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.867540
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.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 | A3384 Canadian Burnet - Largeleaf Grass-of-Parnassus Seep Alliance | A3384 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
| Association | CEGL007048 Common Ninebark - Hazel Alder / Royal Fern - Largeleaf Grass-of-Parnassus - Blueflower Eryngo Seepage Shrubland | CEGL007048 | 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: = Physocarpus opulifolius - Alnus serrulata / Osmunda regalis - Parnassia grandifolia - Eryngium integrifolium Shrubland (Govus 2011)
< IIE1a. Southern Appalachian Bog Complex (Allard 1990)
< IIE1a. Southern Appalachian Bog Complex (Allard 1990)
- 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.
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
- Govus, T. 2011. Documentation of rare or outstanding natural communities in northern Georgia for Georgia DNR biodiversity databases. Report to Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle, GA.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.