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NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL003890: Vitis aestivalis Vine-Shrubland

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: N/A

Tree subcanopy: N/A

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Herbs (field): Aristolochia macrophylla, Vitis aestivalis

Nonvascular: N/A

 Habitat photo
Click photo to enlarge.
Photo provided by NatureServe.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

  • The dynamics of this community are poorly understood.
    • It apparently originates from disturbance, such as an ice or wind storm; and can persist for decades.
    • This community can range in size from less than a hectare to ten hectares.
    • In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this community occurs on steep to very steep, northerly, middle to upper slopes at intermediate elevations between 600 and 1,000 m (2,000-3,500 feet).
    • All areas sampled showed evidence of disturbance by wind, ice, or logging.

  • This community is strongly dominated by the vine Vitis aestivalis.
    • Vines, extremely thick in patches and covering nearly every tree as well as the ground, have 50-100% coverage.

  • Trees in the canopy and subcanopy have 0-50% coverage and vary from site to site.

  • The shrub layer is sparse.

  • The herb layer is sparse to moderate, decreasing with vine coverage. Herbaceous composition varies from site to site.

  • Beneath the vine canopy, coarse woody debris and tip-up mounds are typical.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

DISTRIBUTION

North America:
  • This community is known from the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and may possibly occur in montane areas of Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
 Click here for NA range map
 
In the Park:
  • This community was sampled on the Cades Cove quadrangle, Mount Le Conte quadrangle, and other quadrangles.

  • It was sampled in the central and eastern portion of the Mount Le Conte quadrangle, on steep slopes north of Potato Ridge and north of Mt. Winnesoka.

  • On the Cades Cove quadrangle it was sampled or observed on the north slopes of Allnight Ridge, in the northern portion of the quadrangle, and on steep slopes over Rowans Branch and steep slopes south of Pond Knob, in the eastern portion of the quadrangle.

  • A plot also exists upslope from the West Prong.

  • It has been seen but not sampled on the North Carolina side.
Click here for GRSMNP Range Map

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

  • Global Conservation Status Rank: G2G3 (Last reviewed: 08 11 1997).

  • This is an uncommon community.
    • It is restricted within its range and could be limited by specific disturbance regimes.

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, MOD. R. White

Web Page:

Charles Wilder.

Photographs:

NatureServe

Maps:

N/A

REFERENCES

MacKenzie, M. D. 1993. The vegetation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Past, present, and future. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 154 pp.

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.

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

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