Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report - USGS

USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program
Colonial National Historical Park
flooded by perched groundwater to depths up to about 50 cm during the winter and early part of
the growing season, but commonly are drawn down by late summer. Soils collected from 12
Virginia plot samples were extremely acidic (mean pH = 4.1) with very low cation levels and
total base saturation.
Vegetation Description: Characteristic tree species include Acer rubrum (red maple),
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum), and Nyssa sylvatica (blackgum), which are nearly constant
in the canopy. Quercus phellos (willow oak) is an important associate or codominant in many
stands. Other associates include Ilex opaca var. opaca (American holly), Magnolia virginiana
(sweetbay), Nyssa biflora (swamp tupelo), Sassafras albidum (sassafras), Quercus palustris (pin
oak), Pinus taeda (loblolly pine), and occasionally Quercus falcata (southern red oak), Quercus
lyrata (overcup oak), or Betula nigra (river birch). The shrub layer is characterized by Leucothoe
racemosa (swamp doghobble), Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry), Vaccinium
fuscatum (black highbush blueberry), Vaccinium formosum (southern blueberry), Clethra
alnifolia (coastal sweetpepperbush), Lindera benzoin (northern spicebush), Ilex verticillata
(common winterberry), and Rhododendron viscosum (swamp azalea). Smilax rotundifolia
(roundleaf greenbrier) is a particularly characteristic vine, often forming dense tangles among the
shrubs. The herbaceous layer is generally sparse but may include Mitchella repens
(partridgeberry), Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern), Chasmanthium laxum (slender
woodoats), Woodwardia areolata (netted chainfern), Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern),
Osmunda regalis (royal fern), Carex albolutescens (greenwhite sedge), Carex debilis var. debilis
(white edge sedge), Scirpus cyperinus (woolgrass), Juncus effusus (common rush), and
Polygonum spp. (knotweeds). Carex joorii (cypress swamp sedge) is inconstant but locally
abundant in some stands in the southern part of the range.
Most Abundant Species: Information not available.
Characteristic Species: Information not available.
Other Noteworthy Species: Information not available.
USFWS Wetland System: Palustrine.
DISTRIBUTION
Range: This association is a seasonally flooded forest of shallow basins and depressions in the
Chesapeake Bay region. It is primarily associated with the Coastal Plain but occurs locally in
gentle, highly acidic terrain of the eastern Piedmont in central and southern Virginia.
States/Provinces: DE, MD, NJ:S3, NY:S1S2, PA, VA.
Federal Lands: DOD (Fort Belvoir, Yorktown); NPS (Colonial, Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania,
National Capital-East, Thomas Stone); USFWS (Chesapeake Marshlands, Prime Hook).
CONSERVATION STATUS
Rank: G4G5 (31-Jan-2007).
Reasons: Information not available.
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