• These deciduous or mostly deciduous edaphically maintained woodlands are known from the Southern Blue Ridge of Tennessee and Virginia, possibly ranging into the adjacent Ridge and Valley.
  • These woodlands occur as small openings on steep slopes, below 3,000 feet elevation, on outcrops with mixtures of calcareous shales, siltstones, and sandstones.
    
    
• These xeric woodlands have canopies typically dominated by Carya glabra, Fraxinus americana, and Quercus prinus.
  • In addition, Ulmus alata, Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Quercus rubra and Juniperus virginiana may also be present in the canopy.
    
    
• Shrub cover can be sparse to moderately dense.
  • Typical shrubs include Philadelphus hirsutus and Ostrya virginiana.
  • Other shrubs and small trees may include Acer leucoderme, Cornus florida, Celtis tenuifolia, Staphylea trifolia, Cercis canadensis, Chionanthus virginicus, Ulmus rubra, Ptelea trifoliata, and Symphoricarpos orbiculatus.
    
    
• The ground cover is sparse, with large areas of bare substrate common.
  • Coverage by mosses and lichens can be substantial.
    
    
• Characteristic herbaceous species include Dichanthelium boscii, Muhlenbergia tenuiflora, Packera obovata, Asclepias quadrifolia, Erigeron pulchellus, Polygala paucifolia, Arabis laevigata, Campanula divaricata, and Aristolochia serpentaria.
• Additional herbs from a stand assigned here from the Ocoee River Gorge (Tennessee) include Chasmanthium latifolium, Solidago sphacelata, Carex purpurifera, and Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (these dominant to frequent), as well as Asplenium platyneuron, Carex laxiflora, Carex pensylvanica, Cheilanthes lanosa, Dichanthelium sp., Euphorbia corollata, Geum sp., Heuchera sp., Oxalis grandis, Rudbeckia triloba, Sedum nevii, Senna marilandica, Tradescantia sp., Verbesina occidentalis, and Verbesina virginica.
• The exotic grass Microstegium vimineum may also be present in stands of this association.

• The vegetation of this community may approach a forest with the influence of adjacent Quercus prinus matrix communities.
  • However, examples of this community possess short Carya glabra, Fraxinus americana, Ulmus americana, and Quercus prinus.
    
    
• A sparse to moderate shrub layer of Philadelphus hirsutus.
  
  
• The herbaceous layer in the example of this community sampled was very diverse, with plants ranging from Arnoglossum atriplicifolium and Pilea pumila that occur in more mesic habitats to Polystichum acrostichoides and Asplenium platyneuron, plants generally associated with drier and more acidic soils.

• This community is known from a single site in the southern Virginia Blue Ridge and at a related site in Tennessee.
  • Additional occurrences in the Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, or Cumberland Mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky are possible.

• Global Conservation Status Rank: G2 (Last reviewed: 10 23 2002).
  
  
• This community is limited to regionally uncommon and small exposures of moderately nutrient-rich rock in the Southern Blue Ridge (and possibly the Ridge and Valley).
  • It is presently only known from a single site in the southern Virginia Blue Ridge and at a related site in Tennessee.
  • Additional occurrences in the Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, or Cumberland Mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky are possible.
  • The total acreage of this community may be less than 1,000 acres.
  • Threats are few, although logging in adjacent areas can cause unnatural disturbance or downslope erosion, along with alteration of light levels.

Fleming, G. P., and P. P. Coulling. 2001. Ecological communities of the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Preliminary classification and description of vegetation types. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. 317 pp.

Fleming, G. P., P. P. Coulling, D. P. Walton, K. M. McCoy, and M. R. Parrish. 2001. The natural communities of Virginia: Classification of ecological community groups. First approximation. Natural Heritage Technical Report 01-1. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. Unpublished report. January 2001. 76 pp.

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.

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