Smartweed - Cutgrass Beaver Pond - Ecological Community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL004290: Polygonum (hydropiperoides, punctatum) - Leersia (lenticularis, virginica) Herbaceous Vegetation

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: N/A

Tree subcanopy: N/A

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Herbs (field): Polygonum cespitosum var. longisetum

Nonvascular: N/A

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

This association incorporates vegetation of beaver ponds and other semipermanent impoundments in the Piedmont, South Atlantic Coastal Plain, Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain, scattered localities in the Blue Ridge, and possibly other adjacent provinces.
Stands of this vegetation are dominated by some combination of Polygonum punctatum, Polygonum hydropiperoides, ~~Leersia lenticularis~~, and/or Leersia virginica.
- Other herbaceous species present include ~~Saururus cernuus~~, ~~Proserpinaca sp.~~, Bidens aristosa, and Xanthium strumarium.
Scattered shrubs of Cephalanthus occidentalis and Acer saccharinum may be present.
A Piedmont North Carolina example contains Impatiens capensis, Boehmeria cylindrica, and the exotic Murdannia keisak.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

The only stand of this association in the park is dominated by Polygonum spp. and Polygonum virginianum with some overhanging canopy trees such as Aesculus flava, Carya alba, Nyssa sylvatica, and Fraxinus americana.
In addition, herbaceous species such as Sanicula canadensis, Lobelia siphilitica, Collinsonia canadensis, and Spigelia marilandica are present.

DISTRIBUTION

North America:
This association is found in the Coastal Plain and Interior from Tennessee and Alabama to the Carolinas. The full extent of its distribution is not known.

In the Park:
An example of this community only exists in one place in the park, a limestone sinkhole in the Kinzel Springs quadrangle at approximately 1,970 feet in elevation.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

Global Conservation Status Rank: G4? (Last reviewed: 12 21 2000).
This association is found in the Coastal Plain and Interior from Tennessee and Alabama to the Carolinas.
- The full extent of its distribution is not known.
- This is not a rare community type, but it is threatened by filling of wetlands.

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:

R. White

Web Page:

Charles Wilder.

Photographs:

NatureServe

Maps:

N/A

REFERENCES

Aulbach-Smith, C. Personal communication. Botanical Services of SC.

Gallyoun, M., G. Meyer, A. Andreu, and W. Slocumb. 1996. Mapping vegetation communities with The Nature Conservancy's vegetation classification system on five small national parks in the southeastern USA. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Conservation Science Department, Chapel Hill, NC.

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

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