Appalachian Felsic Cliff - Ecological Community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL004980: Asplenium montanum - Heuchera villosa Felsic Cliff Sparse Vegetation

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: N/A

Tree subcanopy: N/A

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Herbs (field): Asplenium montanum, Heuchera villosa

Nonvascular: N/A

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

This community occurs in the Blue Ridge and upper Piedmont of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
- It includes vertical rock faces associated with felsic, metamorphic and igneous geologies.
- This community generally has little vegetative cover, often with 90% of the rock surface unvegetated.
- These cliffs are typically dry, although small seepages may occur.
- They are usually shaded by trees rooted on ledges and by the surrounding forest.
Vascular plants occur on ledges and rooted in cracks.

Asplenium montanum and Heuchera villosa are characteristic components.
Other typical species include Agrostis perennans, Arisaema triphyllum, Aristolochia macrophylla, Asplenium trichomanes, Eurybia divaricata, Cystopteris protrusa, Dryopteris marginalis, Hydrangea arborescens, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Polypodium appalachianum, and Rubus canadensis.

Mosses (e.g., Thuidium spp., Fissidens spp., Campylium sp., Bryoandersonia sp., Plagiomnium sp.) and lichens can have moderate coverage.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

This community has little vegetative cover, often with 90% of the rock surface unvegetated.
Vascular plants occur on ledges and rooted in cracks.
- Asplenium montanum and Heuchera villosa are characteristic components.
- Other typical species include Agrostis perennans, Arisaema triphyllum, Aristolochia macrophylla, Asplenium trichomanes, Eurybia divaricata, Cystopteris protrusa, Dryopteris marginalis, Hydrangea arborescens, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Polypodium appalachianum, and Rubus canadensis.
Mosses (e.g., Thuidium spp., Fissidens spp., Campylium sp., Bryoandersonia sp., Plagiomnium sp.) and lichens can have moderate coverage.

DISTRIBUTION

North America:
This community occurs in the Blue Ridge and upper Piedmont of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

In the Park:
This community was sampled on the Cades Cove quadrangle and Mount Le Conte quadrangle. It is likely in other areas of the park. On the Cades Cove quadrangle it was sampled from cliffs in the northeast portion of the quadrangle, along Rowans Creek (2,200 feet) and Crooked Arm Branch (2,960 feet). On the Mount Le Conte quadrangle, this community was sampled from cliffs northwest of Bullhead (3,840 feet) and above Highway 441, in the vicinity of Fort Harry (3,400 feet).

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

Global Conservation Status Rank: G3G4 (Last reviewed: 01 04 1998).

Park Status:

Picking, digging, or otherwise damaging plants is prohibited in the Park. Collection is allowed only by special permit for research or educational purposes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Field Work:

NatureServe

Supporting Institutions:

N/A

Forest Association Described By:

K.D. Patterson

Web Page:

Charles Wilder.

Photographs:

Charles Wilder.

Maps:

N/A

REFERENCES

NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.

Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. 2002. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Schafale, M. 1998b. Fourth approximation guide. High mountain communities. March 1998 draft. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.

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.

Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.

The DLIA/ATBI site is hosted and supported by

and