Rocky Bar and Shore (Alder - Yellowroot Type) - Ecological Community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL003895: Alnus serrulata - Xanthorhiza simplicissima Shrubland

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: Carpinus caroliniana, Diospyros virginiana, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Platanus occidentalis, Tsuga canadensis

Tree subcanopy: N/A

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: Alnus serrulata, Leucothoe fontanesiana, Xanthorhiza simplicissima

Herbs (field): N/A

Click photo to enlarge.
Photo provided by NatureServe.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

This association includes shrublands on rocky or gravelly substrates along narrow river margins in the southeastern Blue Ridge Escarpment gorges, ranging into the Cumberland Plateau.
- Vegetation composition, density, and height vary with frequency of flooding, substrate, and soil depth.
Adjacent alluvial forests in the Blue Ridge are dominated by Tsuga canadensis, Liriodendron tulipifera, Betula lenta, and, at lower elevations, below 600 m (2,000 feet), Platanus occidentalis and Liquidambar styraciflua.
The nominal shrubs are common and characteristic but not always dominant.
- Other shrubs may include Arundinaria gigantea, Diervilla sessilifolia, Salix nigra, Salix sericea, Rhododendron arborescens, Rhododendron viscosum, Rhododendron maximum, Rhododendron periclymenoides, Kalmia latifolia, Leucothoe fontanesiana, ~~Cornus foemina~~, Cornus amomum, Itea virginica, and Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides.
- Arborescent species that occur as tall shrubs (or as occasional trees, less than 10% cover) include Acer rubrum, Carpinus caroliniana, Diospyros virginiana, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Platanus occidentalis, and Tsuga canadensis.
Open areas dominated by grasses and forbs include species such as Agrostis perennans, Boykinia aconitifolia, Carex torta, Holcus lanatus, Lycopus virginicus, Trautvetteria caroliniensis, Houstonia serpyllifolia, Impatiens capensis, Hypericum mutilum, Viola X primulifolia, and Eupatoriadelphus fistulosus.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

The community usually has an overarching canopy of Carpinus caroliniana and various upland species from the adjacent higher ground and a fairly well-developed herbaceous stratum, especially in patches where shrub cover is low.
The vegetation of this association within the park is dominated by the shrub Alnus serrulata at 0.5-2 m tall and the shrub Xanthorhiza simplicissima at below 0.5 m in height.
- Other shrub and small tree species such as Toxicodendron radicans can also be quite common.

DISTRIBUTION

North America:
This association is found along montane rivers in the southeastern Blue Ridge Escarpment gorges and in the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky south to Alabama.

In the Park:
This association was only sampled on one small section of Abrams Creek in the Calderwood quadrangle. It most likely exists along other stretches of Abrams and the Little Pigeon rivers on the Tennessee side of the park.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

Global Conservation Status Rank: G3G4 (Last reviewed: 12 17 1999).
This community is naturally restricted in terms of geography and habitat, thus could be vulnerable to elimination.
- However, this community is often overlooked in inventories or not separately distinguished, and is likely much more common than the number of documented occurrences suggests.
- Threats to this community include alteration of the natural flooding regime due to damming of rivers and invasion by exotic species carried on river courses.

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

Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.

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

Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.

Newell, C. L., and R. K. Peet. 1995. Vegetation of Linville Gorge Wilderness, North Carolina. Unpublished report. to USDA Forest Service. University of North Carolina, Department of Biology, Chapel Hill. 211 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.

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.

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