Physiognomy and Structure: Examples of this vegetation have sparse cover of grasses, graminoids, forbs and shrubs rooted in rock fissures, and may be surrounded by deciduous forest.

Floristics: More common vegetation in this alliance will have Saxifraga michauxii as a characteristic component; other species are variable, but may include Carex misera, Saxifraga micranthidifolia, Saxifraga virginiensis, Schizachyrium scoparium, and others. High-elevation examples found on rock outcrops of highly fractured felsic to mafic bedrock contain Abies fraseri, Heuchera villosa, Menziesia pilosa, Minuartia groenlandica, Oclemena acuminata (= Aster acuminatus), Polypodium appalachianum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Saxifraga michauxii, Solidago glomerata, and Sorbus americana. On rock outcrops of felsic Anakeesta slate in the Great Smoky Mountains (from 1646-1987 m), typical species include Abies fraseri, Calamagrostis cainii, Carex misera, Gentiana linearis, Leiophyllum buxifolium, Oclemena acuminata, Rhododendron carolinianum, Saxifraga michauxii, and Solidago glomerata. At low to middle elevations (1256-1713 m) in the Southern Appalachians on outcrops of mafic rock, or on felsic rock where perennial seepage exists, typical species include Allium allegheniense, Campanula divaricata, Coreopsis major, Danthonia spicata, Dichanthelium acuminatum, Kalmia latifolia, Paronychia argyrocoma, Saxifraga michauxii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Solidago bicolor. On amphibolite, metabasalt, metagabbro, or metagraywacke bedrock from 1350-1870 m elevation within a matrix of Quercus rubra forest or high-elevation grasslands and shrublands, the vegetation includes Carex misera, Danthonia spicata, and Saxifraga michauxii with Angelica triquinata, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Geum radiatum, Heuchera villosa, Houstonia purpurea var. montana, Huperzia appalachiana, Hylotelephium telephioides (= Sedum telephioides), Krigia montana, Rhododendron catawbiense, Sanguisorba canadensis, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, and Solidago spithamaea. Some examples are strongly dominated by Carex biltmoreana with Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Coreopsis pubescens, Coreopsis major, Dichanthelium dichotomum var. dichotomum (= Dichanthelium dichotomum var. ramulosum), Dichanthelium acuminatum var. lindheimeri, Diervilla sessilifolia, Houstonia longifolia (= Houstonia longifolia var. glabra), Krigia montana, Melampyrum lineare, and Schizachyrium scoparium. In the central Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, at elevations of 850-1200 m, this alliance occurs on greenstone (metabasalt, a mafic metamorphic rock). Characteristic herbaceous species include Agrostis perennans, Allium allegheniense, Arabis lyrata, Campanula divaricata, Carex pensylvanica, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Deschampsia flexuosa, Gymnocarpium appalachianum, Heuchera pubescens, Houstonia longifolia (= Houstonia longifolia var. compacta), Huperzia appalachiana, Hylotelephium telephioides, Liatris turgida, Oclemena acuminata, Phlox subulata ssp. brittonii, Polypodium appalachianum, Saxifraga michauxii, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, and Solidago simplex var. randii. Shrubs include Abies balsamea, Betula alleghaniensis, Diervilla lonicera, Hamamelis virginiana, Ilex montana, Kalmia latifolia, Menziesia pilosa, Physocarpus opulifolius, Quercus rubra, Ribes rotundifolium, and Sorbus americana. Rare alpine disjunct species are sometimes present, including Juncus trifidus and Trisetum spicatum.

Dynamics:  No Data Available