Sumter National Forest Final Report - NatureServe

Asclepias incarnata, Symphyotrichum patens (= Aster patens), Danthonia compressa, Dichanthelium sp., Dryopteris marginalis,Polygonatum biflorum, and Tradescantia sp. Small trees and shrubs are scattered in the stand or appear on the margins. They includeAmelanchier laevis, Prunus angustifolia, Prunus serotina, Carya alba, Quercus alba, Quercus prinus, Robinia pseudoacacia,Diospyros virginiana, Quercus velutina, Vaccinium stamineum, Arundinaria gigantea, Rhus copallinum, and Vaccinium pallidum.Vines include Toxicodendron radicans, Smilax bona-nox, and Smilax rotundifolia. Trees on the margin of the stand include Quercusrubra, Carya glabra, and Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana.Dynamics: No informationSimilar Associations:• Saxifraga michauxii - Cheilanthes lanosa - Hylotelephium telephioides Herbaceous Vegetation (CEGL004989) -- the relatedbasic type.Related Concepts:• Blue Ridge Noncalcareous Outcrop Herbaceous Vegetation (Ambrose 1990a) B• IE4b. Blue Ridge/Piedmont Low Elevation Acidic Rocky Summit (Allard 1990) ?• Low Elevation Rocky Summit (Acidic Subtype) (Schafale 1998b) ?Classification Comments: North Carolina recognizes a Low Elevation Rocky Summit (Basic Subtype), a variant on mafic or basicmetasedimentary rocks or felsic rocks influenced by base-rich seepage, containing plants that prefer higher pH conditions. It wasformerly classified as a state nonstandard type, Saxifraga michauxii - Cheilanthes lanosa - Hylotelephium telephioides HerbaceousVegetation (CEGL004989).CONSERVATION RANKING & RARE SPECIESGRank: G3? (1996-9-8): No informationHigh-ranked species: No informationELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONRange: This community occurs in the Southern Blue Ridge from southwestern Virginia south into Georgia. It may extend north intothe Ridge and Valley. It is also reported from the Piedmont (M. Schafale pers. comm. 2001).Subnations: GA, NC, SC, TN, VA?TNC Ecoregions: 51:C, 52:C, 59:?USFS Ecoregions: M221Aa:CPP, M221Dc:CCC, M221Dd:CCCFederal Lands: USFS (Chattahoochee, Cherokee, Nantahala, Pisgah, Sumter)ELEMENT SOURCESReferences: Allard 1990, Ambrose 1990a, Schafale 1998b, Schafale and Weakley 1990, Southeastern Ecology Working Group n.d.SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN SPRAY CLIFFAPPALACHIAN SHOESTRING FERN - CAVE ALUMROOT - APPALACHIAN BLUET / LIVERWORT SPECIES HERBACEOUSVEGETATIONELEMENT IDENTIFIERSNVC association: Vittaria appalachiana - Heuchera parviflora var. parviflora - Houstonia serpyllifolia / Plagiochila spp.Herbaceous VegetationDatabase Code: CEGL004302Formation: Saturated temperate perennial forb vegetation (V.B.2.N.f)Alliance: Vittaria appalachiana - Heuchera parviflora Saturated Herbaceous Alliance (A.1696)ELEMENT CONCEPTSummary: This community includes herbaceous vegetation on rock substrates associated with the spray of cascades and waterfallsin the Southern Blue Ridge and adjacent portions of the Piedmont. It is found in southwestern North Carolina, northwestern SouthCarolina, and northeastern Georgia, in the escarpment gorges of the Southern Blue Ridge and west of the escarpment in easternTennessee. It occurs on saturated rock outcrops, on nearly vertical rock surfaces and ledges, slopes, and crevices with shallow soilswhich are constantly saturated. Vegetative coverage is sparse to moderate with 50-75% unvegetated surface (bedrock) possible.Vegetation grows in cracks and on organic accumulations on ledges. It is characterized by a variable but unique assemblage ofvascular herbs, algae, and bryophytes, many of which are endemic to this community. Composition of this community varies fromlocation to location, in part due to its insular nature. Characteristic species include liverworts (Bazzania denudata, Conocephalumconicum, Oxalis montana, Pellia epiphylla, Pellia neesiana, Plagiochila austini, Plagiochila caduciloba, Plagiochila sharpii ssp.sharpii, Plagiochila spp., Plagiochila sullivantii, Riccardia multifida); mosses (Bryocrumia vivicolor, Dichodontium pellucidum,Fissidens osmundioides, Hyophila involuta, Mnium marginatum, Oncophorus raui, Plagiomnium affine, Plagiomnium carolinianum,Pseudotaxiphyllum distichaceum, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum quinquefarium, Thalictrum spp., Thamnobryum alleghaniense);ferns (Adiantum pedatum, Asplenium monanthes, Asplenium montanum, Asplenium trichomanes ssp. trichomanes, CystopterisVegetation of Sumter National Forest April 30 2004Copyright © 2004 NatureServe84