Sumter National Forest Final Report - NatureServe

Dynamics: No informationSimilar Associations:• Carex biltmoreana - Pycnanthemum spp. - Krigia montana Herbaceous Vegetation (CEGL004523)• Selaginella rupestris - Schizachyrium scoparium - Hypericum gentianoides - Bulbostylis capillaris Herbaceous Vegetation(CEGL007690)Related Concepts:• Selaginella tortipila / Carex umbellata outcrop community (Wiser et al. 1996) ?• Selaginella tortipila / Carex umbellata outcrop community (Wiser 1993) ?• High Elevation Granitic Dome (Typic Subtype) (Schafale 1998b) ?• IE4c. Southern Appalachian High Elevation Granitic Dome (Allard 1990) BClassification Comments: Granitic dome communities are also known from the Piedmont of North Carolina and Georgia. ThePiedmont communities are more xeric and differ floristically from those described here, lacking species characteristic of themountains such as Carex misera, Carex biltmoreana, Trichophorum caespitosum (= Scirpus cespitosus), Hypericum buckleii,Packera millefolia (= Senecio millefolium), and Leiophyllum buxifolium. Occurrences of this community may have structural andfloristic similarities to Selaginella rupestris - Schizachyrium scoparium - Hypericum gentianoides - Bulbostylis capillaris HerbaceousVegetation (CEGL007690) which typically occurs at lower elevations (below 3000 feet) and contains a suite of species not found athigher elevations. Carex biltmoreana - Pycnanthemum spp. - Krigia montana Herbaceous Vegetation (CEGL004523) may becompositionally similar to this association but is more vegetated and occurs as small patches (less than 10 acres) within a forestedmatrix.CONSERVATION RANKING & RARE SPECIESGRank: G2G3 (1998-1-4): Granitic Domes, in general, are uncommon, especially at high elevations in the Blue Ridge, where theyrepresent a tiny fraction of the moderate to high mountain landscape. Heavy recreational use in these fragile communities hasdamaged, and continues to threaten, many examples. Additionally, atmospheric deposition of air pollutants may have an adverseeffect on these high-elevation communities.High-ranked species: Carex biltmoreana (G3), Danthonia epilis (G3G4), Hypericum buckleii (G3), Krigia montana (G3), Packeramillefolia (G2), Selaginella tortipila (G3), Solidago simulans (G1)ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONRange: This community occurs at intermediate to high elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge of the Carolinas and Georgia.Subnations: GA, NC, SC, TN?TNC Ecoregions: 51:CUSFS Ecoregions: M221Dc:CCCFederal Lands: NPS (Blue Ridge Parkway?); USFS (Chattahoochee, Nantahala, Pisgah, Sumter)ELEMENT SOURCESReferences: Allard 1990, NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern U.S. unpubl. data, Nelson 1986, Peet et al. unpubl. data 2002,Schafale 1998b, Schafale and Weakley 1990, Schafale pers. comm., Southeastern Ecology Working Group n.d., Wiser 1993, Wiser etal. 1996CLIFF SAXIFRAGE HERBACEOUS VEGETATIONELEMENT IDENTIFIERSNVC association: Saxifraga michauxii Herbaceous VegetationDatabase Code: CEGL004524Formation: Low temperate or subpolar perennial forb vegetation (V.B.2.N.b)Alliance: Saxifraga michauxii Herbaceous Alliance (A.1621)SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN ROCKY SUMMITELEMENT CONCEPTSummary: This is a broadly defined type which encompasses a diversity of sloping rock outcrops at low to medium elevations in thesouthern and central Appalachians, with Saxifraga michauxii as a characteristic component. Other species are variable, but mayinclude Saxifraga virginiensis, Saxifraga micranthidifolia, Carex spp., Schizachyrium scoparium, and others. This community showssome relationship to the others in this alliance, Saxifraga michauxii Herbaceous Alliance (A.1621), but it lacks most or all of the rareendemic species which are important components of the other types in this alliance.Environment: No informationVegetation: A stand in the Chattahoochee National Forest (Almond Bald, M221Dc38) contains the herbaceous species Carexpensylvanica, Danthonia sericea, Schizachyrium scoparium, Heuchera villosa, Packera anonyma (= Senecio anonymus), Saxifragamichauxii, Asplenium platyneuron, Houstonia longifolia var. glabra, Solidago sp., Hypericum gentianoides, Ambrosia artemisiifolia,Vegetation of Sumter National Forest April 30 2004Copyright © 2004 NatureServe83