4-1 NVC CoastalFringe Coastal upland forests and shrublandsSouth Atlantic terrestrial plant communities occurring a few miles from the coast (or longer) and composed of either trees with crown overlap > 60% (i.e., forests) or shrub-dominated sites (i.e., shrublands) Maritime forestsCommunities composed of trees with crown overlap > 60% (i.e., forests) Maritime oak forestsMaritime forests dominated or co-dominated by oak1. Occurs along ecotone between high salt marsh and upland sites (also found along spoil mounds, ditches); dominated / co-dominated by Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola == 7813
1. Terrestrial sites only (not ecotonal)
  2. Sites heavily influenced by salt-spray, thus the canopy can appear streamlined; occurs on barrier islands or along mainland fringe
    3. Evergreen forests not containing southerly species, like Sabal palmetto, and dominated by Quercus virginiana, Quercus hemisphaerica, and Pinus taeda == 7027
    3. Evergreen forests containing southerly species, like Sabal palmetto, and dominated, or co-dominated, by Quercus virginiana == 7032
  2. Sites not heavily influenced by salt spray; may occur a few miles inland from coastline
    4. Evergreen forests found on sand spits of estuarine rivers; marsh vegetation, such as Panicum amarum var. amarum and Spartina patens, can be found here == 4399
    4. Evergreen forests found on lowland upland flats, and typically co-dominated by Quercus hemispaerica, Quercus falcata, and/or Carya glabra == 7026 CEGL007032 Quercus virginiana - (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii, Sabal palmetto) / Persea borbonia - Callicarpa americana Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007032.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687074 CEGL004399 Quercus virginiana - Quercus hemisphaerica / Ilex vomitoria / Aristida condensata - Panicum amarum var. amarum Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL004399.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.821785 CEGL007027 Quercus virginiana - Quercus hemisphaerica - Pinus taeda / Persea palustris - Ilex vomitoria Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007027.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684469 CEGL007026 Quercus virginiana - Quercus hemisphaerica - Pinus taeda - Quercus falcata / Persea palustris Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007026.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687020 CEGL007813 Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola - (Quercus virginiana, Sabal palmetto) Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007813.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686269 CEGL004095 Quercus virginiana - Pinus taeda / Ilex vomitoria / Chasmanthium sessiliflorum Forest [Provisional] http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL004095.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.732636 Maritime pine forests and woodlandsMaritime forests dominated or co-dominated by loblolly pine1. Pinus taeda dominated open forests of coastal Virginia; examples of pine-dominated sites along the coast of the Carolinas are probably successional variants of other Maritime forest types == 6040 CEGL006040 Pinus taeda - Quercus (falcata, nigra) / Morella cerifera / Vitis rotundifolia Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL006040.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685335 Calcareous hammocks & shell barrensMaritime forests or woodlands occurring on raised topographic positions and underlain by natural or anthropogenic shell deposits; typically, soils are coarse textured and calcium-rich; the resulting composition is a mixture of calciphilic species (e.g., Tilia americana var. caroliniana, Celtis laevigata, and Acer floridanum) and typical maritime forest species (e.g., Quercus virginiana and Sabal palmetto)1. Poorly developed, coarse soil, with a high component of shell; supports a more open woodland (i.e., canopy cover < 60%) or shrubby vegetation type == 3525
1. Finer-texture soil, typically with minor shell component; supports a forest vegetation type (i.e., canopy cover > 60%)
  2. Southerly variant of dry-mesic, mesic forests occurring on shell-influenced soils and dominated by a mixture of coastal fringe and calciphillic species; includes more southerly flora such as Sabal palmetto and Magnolia grandiflora == 7470
  2. Northerly variant of dry-mesic, mesic forests occurring on shell-influenced soils and dominated by a mixture of coastal fringe and calciphillic species; lacks more southerly flora such as Sabal palmetto and Magnolia grandiflora == 7282 CEGL007470 Quercus falcata - Tilia americana var. caroliniana - Magnolia grandiflora / Ilex vomitoria Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007470.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684381 CEGL007282 Celtis laevigata - Tilia americana var. caroliniana / Aesculus pavia Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007282.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685498 CEGL003525 Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola - Zanthoxylum clava-herculis - Quercus virginiana - (Sabal palmetto) / Sageretia minutiflora - (Sideroxylon tenax) Woodland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL003525.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684105 Mesic maritime hardwood forestMaritime forests co-dominated by hardwood species and occurring on the most salt-spray protected areas of barrier islands1. Mesic forests of barrier islands typically co-dominated by a mixture of Quercus falcata, Fagus grandifolia, Pinus taeda, and Quercus nigra; in North Carolina, this type is limited to occurrences at Nags Head Woods and Kitty Hawk Woods == 7540 CEGL007540 Quercus falcata - Pinus taeda - (Fagus grandifolia, Quercus nigra) / Persea palustris Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007540.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684375 CEGL007850 Quercus virginiana - Quercus pagoda - Magnolia grandiflora - Carya glabra / Ilex opaca Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007850.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688019 Maritime shrublandsCommunities dominated by shrub, vine, or scrub (i.e., stunted trees) vegetation Maritime scrubMaritime shrublands with an often substantial component of salt-spray maintained shrub-sized tree species1. Scrub-shrub thickets dominated by Morella pensylvanica, occurring with a minor component of stunted trees such as Quercus virginiana, Diospyros virginiana, and Pinus taeda; in North Carolina this type is only known from the Currituck Banks == 3881
1. Scrub-shrub not dominated by Morella pensylvanica
  2. Southerly variant of scrub-shrub thickets co-dominated by Ilex vomitoria and Quercus virginiana/geminata, with Morella cerifera; found within the Georgia - South Carolina sea islands == 3813
  2. Typical variant of scrub-shrub thickets of the south and mid-Atlantic Coast dominated by stunted, salt-pruned Quercus virginiana (~ 0.5 - 3 meters tall) == 3833 CEGL003881 Morella pensylvanica / Diodia teres Shrubland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL003881.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689695 CEGL003833 Quercus virginiana - (Ilex vomitoria) Shrubland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL003833.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685126 CEGL003813 Ilex vomitoria - Quercus (geminata, virginiana) - Morella cerifera - Serenoa repens Shrubland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL003813.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684040 Backdune shrublandsShrubland and vine-dominated communities of maritime dunes1. Maritime shrublands of South Carolina and Georgia, dominated by Morella cerifera, Prunus caroliniana, and Zanthoxylum clava-herculis == 4784
1. Maritime vinelands of North Carolina, dominated by dense coverage (~ 70 - 80%) of Smilax spp. and Toxicodendron radicans == 3885 CEGL004784 Morella cerifera - Prunus caroliniana - Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Shrubland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL004784.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688526 CEGL003885 Smilax auriculata - Toxicodendron radicans Vine-Shrubland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL003885.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686416 CEGL003809 Morella cerifera - Baccharis halimifolia / Spartina patens Shrubland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL003809.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687816 Calcareous maritime shrublandMaritime shrublands occurring on raised topographic positions and underlain by natural or anthropogenic shell deposits; typically, soils are coarse textured and calcium-rich; the resulting composition is a mixture of calciphilic species (e.g., Sideroxylon tenax) and typical maritime forest species (e.g., Ilex vomitoria)1. Southerly mid-Atlantic maritime shrubland described for southern Georgia and northern Florida; community dominated by Serenoa repens, Ilex vomitoria, and Sideroxylon tenax == 3812 CEGL003812 Serenoa repens - Sabal palmetto - Ilex vomitoria - Sideroxylon tenax Shrubland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL003812.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685235 Outer Coastal Plain semi-evergreen forestsCommunities composed of trees with crown overlap > 60% (i.e., forests), and co-dominated by maritime fringe species, but occurring further inland (~ Outer Coastal Plain) Oak & Pine forestOuter Coastal Plain forests co-dominated by oak and pine species1. Outer Coastal Plain oak and pine dominated fire-protected forests found on sandy upland islands (hammocks), ridges, and/or bluffs surrounded by swamp
  2. Oak domes and hammocks with a relatively pure overstory of Quercus virginiana, found from South Carolina to Alabama == 7028
  2. Geomorphology and floristics not as above
    3. Sandy swamp islands dominated by Quercus hemisphaerica, Pinus taeda, Quercus virginiana/geminata, and Osmanthus americanus; found from North Carolina to Georgia
      4. Characterized by an open shrub layer dominated by Ilex glabra == 3619
      4. Characterized by an open shrub layer dominated by Ilex glabra and other species == 7022
    3. Isolated ridges or fire-protected islands of high ground dominated by Pinus glabra, Quercus virginiana/geminata, Quercus hemisphaerica, or Persea borbonia; found in South Carolina and Georgia
      5. Occurs on fire-protected islands surrounded by riverine swamps and is characterized by a subcanopy dominated by Persea borbonia == 4787
      5. Occurs on isolated ridges surrounded by riverine swamps and is characterized by a canopy co-dominated by Pinus glabra and a subcanopy dominated by Carpinus caroliniana == 4676
1. Outer Coastal Plain oak and pine dominated fire-protected forests found on well-developed river levees or mesic dry bluffs
  6. Floodplain forests located on river levees from Texas to South Carolina and characterized by a canopy of Quercus virginiana, with or without Pinus taeda, and a shrub layer of either Serenoa repens or Sabal minor == 7039
  6. Occurs on dry-mesic bluffs and is characterized by a canopy of Carya glabra, Quercus virginiana, Quercus pagoda, and Magnolia grandiflora; known from one location in Beaufort County, South Carolina == 7850 CEGL007028 Quercus virginiana / Vaccinium arboreum - Ilex vomitoria Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007028.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689857 CEGL007039 Quercus virginiana - (Pinus taeda) / (Sabal minor, Serenoa repens) Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007039.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686346 CEGL003619 Pinus taeda - Quercus hemisphaerica / Osmanthus americanus / Ilex glabra Woodland http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL003619.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687982 CEGL004787 Quercus hemisphaerica - Quercus geminata / Persea borbonia - Osmanthus americanus Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL004787.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687182 CEGL007022 Quercus hemisphaerica - Pinus taeda - (Quercus nigra) / Osmanthus americanus var. americanus / Ilex glabra Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007022.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685138 CEGL004676 Pinus glabra - Quercus virginiana - Carya glabra / Carpinus caroliniana / Serenoa repens Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL004676.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684147 CEGL006172 Pinus taeda - Quercus nigra / Smilax rotundifolia Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL006172.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683688 Mesic forestOuter Coastal Plain forests dominated by multiple hardwood species1. Occurs on fire-protected sites (coves, ravines) not subject to flooding; the canopy contains Fagus grandifolia, Magnolia grandifolia, Pinus glabra, and other species == 7459 CEGL007459 Fagus grandifolia - Magnolia grandiflora / Ilex opaca - (Persea borbonia) / Mitchella repens Forest http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/data/comm/CEGL007459.xml http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689589