Southern Appalachian Red Oak Cove Forest - Ecological Community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL007878: Quercus rubra - Tilia americana var. heterophylla - Halesia tetraptera var. monticola / Collinsonia canadensis - Tradescantia subaspera Forest

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: Quercus rubra

Tree subcanopy: N/A

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Short Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Herbs (field): Thelypteris noveboracensis and Collinsonia canadensis

Nonvascular: N/A

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

This community is a Quercus rubra-dominated rich forest of protected steep, rocky slopes at intermediate elevations (915-1,220 m [3,000-4,000 feet]) in the southern Appalachians.
- It has been described only from Great Smoky Mountains National Park and needs further review.
This forest has a canopy dominated by Quercus rubra (50-95%) occurring with lesser amounts of Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola or Acer saccharum.
- Occasionally Liriodendron tulipifera will have high canopy coverage.
- Other minor canopy and subcanopy trees include Magnolia acuminata, Acer pensylvanicum, Acer rubrum, Aesculus flava, and Betula lenta.
The shrub stratum is open, made up of saplings from the canopy and subcanopy, with no clear dominant.
Herbs are sparse to moderate in coverage, with relatively high species richness.
- Herbs with the highest coverages are Thelypteris noveboracensis and Collinsonia canadensis.
- Other typical herbs are Actaea pachypoda, Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Agrostis spp., Arisaema triphyllum, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Desmodium nudiflorum, Dioscorea quaternata, Galium lanceolatum, Laportea canadensis, Maianthemum racemosum, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, Polygonatum biflorum, Polystichum acrostichoides, Smilax herbacea, Solidago curtisii, Tradescantia subaspera, and Viola cucullata.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

This forest has a canopy dominated by Quercus rubra (50-95%) occurring with lesser amounts of Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, or Acer saccharum.
- Occasionally Liriodendron tulipifera will have high canopy coverage.
- Other minor canopy and subcanopy trees include Magnolia acuminata, Acer pensylvanicum, Acer rubrum, Aesculus flava, and Betula lenta.
The shrub stratum is open, made up of saplings from the canopy and subcanopy, with no clear dominant.
Herbs are sparse to moderate in coverage, with relatively high species richness.
- Herbs with the highest coverages are Thelypteris noveboracensis and Collinsonia canadensis.
- Other typical herbs are Actaea pachypoda, Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Agrostis spp., Arisaema triphyllum, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Desmodium nudiflorum, Dioscorea quaternata, Galium lanceolatum, Laportea canadensis, Maianthemum racemosum, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, Polygonatum biflorum, Polystichum acrostichoides, Smilax herbacea, Solidago curtisii, Tradescantia subaspera, and Viola cucullata.

DISTRIBUTION

North America:

This community is found in the southern Appalachians of Tennessee. Its complete distribution has not been determined.

Click map to enlarge.
Potential	Occurs

Click map to view North American distribution.

In the Park:

This community was sampled from the Cades Cove quadrangle and Bunches Bald quadrangle.
On the Cades Cove quadrangle, it was sampled from a north-facing slope of Ledbetter Ridge; from a east-facing high slope of Big Abrams Gap; from west-facing upper slopes of Nuna Ridge; a protected draw east of Powell Knob above Ekaneetlah Creek; and a draw southeast of Doe Knob.
On the Bunches Bald quadrangle it was sampled just off of the Hyatt Ridge Trail.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

Global Conservation Status Rank: G3? (Last reviewed: 09 03 2002).
The conservation status of this community has not yet been fully assessed.

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:

NatureServe

Maps:

Charles Wilder.

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.

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

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