Print Report
A2071 Appalachian Acidic Cliff Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance is made up of sparse, patchy vascular vegetation with variable nonvascular cover occurring on cliff faces of acidic rock types in the Central and Southern Appalachian and Piedmont regions.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Appalachian Acidic Cliff Alliance
Colloquial Name: Appalachian Acidic Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance is made up of sparse, patchy vascular vegetation with variable nonvascular cover occurring on cliff faces of acidic rock types in the Southern Appalachian and Piedmont regions of the U.S., north to the Central Appalachians. Mosses and lichens are often abundant. Vascular plants are generally confined to crevices, and cover is generally less than 10% over all but can be patchy and reach up to 25% cover in areas. Common ferns and forbs include Asplenium montanum, Deschampsia flexuosa, Polypodium appalachianum, and Polypodium virginianum, as well as scattered shrubs, such as Hydrangea arborescens, Kalmia latifolia, and Rhododendron spp.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Acidic cliff faces supporting sparse vascular vegetation in the eastern U.S. in the Southern and Central Appalachians and Piedmont regions.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This alliance is broadly defined and requires further data collection and analysis.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Physiognomy and structure are somewhat variable among associations and within occurrences. Some examples are typically shaded by trees rooted in adjacent forested communities and/or adjacent rock outcrops. Up to 90% of the rock surface may lack cover of vascular plants. Mosses and lichens can have moderate coverage, and vascular plants typically occur on ledges and rooted in cracks, occasionally forming patches up to 25% cover. On a given cliff, more than one association can occur in close proximity to one another, in lower, more shaded portions versus upper, less shaded ones.
Floristics: This alliance generally contains very little vascular vegetation and variable cover of nonvascular vegetation. It includes vegetation of both acidic and circumneutral substrates. Mosses (e.g., species of Bryoandersonia, Campylium, Fissidens, Plagiomnium, Thuidium) and lichens, such as species of Umbilicaria, can have moderate coverage, and vascular plants may be restricted to ledges and rooting in cracks. Common ferns and forbs include Asplenium montanum, Deschampsia flexuosa, Polypodium appalachianum, and Polypodium virginianum (= Polypodium vulgare). Other herbs occasionally present include Agrostis perennans, Arisaema triphyllum, Aristolochia macrophylla, Asplenium trichomanes, Campanula divaricata, Cystopteris protrusa, Dryopteris marginalis, Eurybia divaricata (= Aster divaricatus), Galax urceolata, Heuchera parviflora, Iris cristata, Muhlenbergia tenuiflora, Polygonatum biflorum, Rubus canadensis, Silene rotundifolia, Silene stellata, and Solidago sphacelata. Occasional shrubs include Hydrangea arborescens, Kalmia latifolia, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Vaccinium arboreum, and Vaccinium simulatum. In the Piedmont, frequent herbs include Asplenium platyneuron, Cheilanthes lanosa, Cheilanthes tomentosa, Danthonia spicata, Hieracium venosum, Opuntia humifusa, Pleopeltis polypodioides (= Polypodium polypodioides), Schizachyrium scoparium, and Tephrosia virginiana. Frequent woody species include the shrubs Chionanthus virginicus, Kalmia latifolia, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium pallidum, and trees of Carya glabra, Diospyros virginiana, Juniperus virginiana, Pinus virginiana, and Quercus stellata.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This alliance includes dry to moist, near-vertical to overhanging cliffs with crevices, on generally acidic substrates. This vegetation occurs on a number of different rock types, including sandstone, quartzite, gneiss, schist, and phyllite. Some examples may be shaded by trees rooted in adjacent forested communities. In the Piedmont, examples are found in topographically low settings such as river bluffs that are not subject to flood scouring. Substrates may include various felsic igneous or metamorphic rocks, acidic saprolite, and occasionally unconsolidated acidic sediments.
Geographic Range: This alliance occurs in the Southern and Central Appalachians of the eastern U.S., as well as the Piedmont.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, GA, KY, MD, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.878628
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
Concept Lineage: This alliance accommodates elements that were formerly members of ~Asplenium montanum Sparsely Vegetated Alliance (A.1831)$$. Cystopteris bulbifera - Asplenium rhizophyllum Ozark Sparse Vegetation (CEGL008486), an Ozarkian provisional association from ~Cystopteris bulbifera - Asplenium rhizophyllum Sparsely Vegetated Alliance (A.1834)$$, has been made inactive. ~Appalachian - Alleghenian Sandstone Dry Cliff Sparse Vegetation (CEGL006435)$$, a member of ~Open Cliff Sparsely Vegetated Alliance (A.1836)$$, is also placed here, but most associations in A.1836 are not Appalachian. Many are in the Great Lakes region. A.1831, A.1834, A.1836, in part
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Montane Acidic Cliff (Schafale and Weakley 1990)
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, M. Hall, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, L. Sneddon, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2013-2019b. Screening alliances for induction into the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Part 1 - Alliance concept review. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- 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.
- Schmalzer, P. A., and H. R. DeSelm. 1982. Vegetation, endangered and threatened plants, critical plant habitats and vascular flora of the Obed Wild and Scenic River. Unpublished report. USDI National Park Service, Obed Wild and Scenic River. 2 volumes. 369 pp.
- Vanderhorst, J. P., B. P. Streets, Z. Arcaro, and S. C. Gawler. 2010. Vegetation classification and mapping at Gauley River National Recreation Area. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2010/148. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA.