Wildflowers and plant communities of the southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont : a naturalist's guide to the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia

541 Pages·2011·35.41 MB·English

by  Timothy P. Spira

Wildflowers & Plant Communities
of the southern appalachian mountains
& piedmont

&
Wildfl owers
Plant Communities
of the southern appalachian mountains
& piedmont
A Naturalist’s Guide to the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, & Georgia
Timothy P. Spira
The UNIverSITy of NorTh CarolINa PreSS ChaPel hIll
A Southern GatewayS Guide
© 2011 The UNIverSITy of NorTh CarolINa PreSS
Photographs: © 2011 Timothy P. Spira Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
All rights reserved. Spira, Timothy P.
Designed and set by Kimberly Bryant Wildflowers and plant communities of the southern
with Rebecca Evans in Arnhem and Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont : a naturalist’s
TheSans types. guide to the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, and
Georgia / Timothy P. Spira. —1st ed.
Manufactured in China
 p. cm.
The paper in this book meets the Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
guidelines for permanence and dura- ISBN 978-0-8078-3440-4 (cloth : alk. paper)—
bility of the Committee on Production ISBN 978-0-8078-7172-0 (pbk : alk. paper)
Guidelines for Book Longevity of the 1. Wild flowers—Appalachian Region, Southern—Identifica-
Council on Library Resources. The tion. 2. Wild flowers—Piedmont (U.S. : Region)—Identifica-
University of North Carolina Press has tion. 3. Plant communities—Appalachian Region, Southern.
been a member of the Green Press 4. Plant communities—Piedmont (U.S. : Region) I. Title.
Initiative since 2003. II. Title: Naturalist’s guide to the Carolinas, Virginia, Ten-
nessee, and Georgia.
cloth 15 14 13 12 11 5 4 3 2 1 QK122.3.S65 2011
paper 15 14 13 12 11 5 4 3 2 1 582.130975—dc22  2010037828
For those who
PromoTe aNd ProTeCT
native plants and natural habitats

Contents
Region Covered ix / Acknowledgments xi
Part I. Introduction 1
1 how To USe ThIS fIeld GUIde 5
2 The moUNTaINS 8
3 The PIedmoNT 15
4 UNderSTaNdING NaTUral CommUNITIeS 19
Part II. Photo Key 29
1 The moUNTaINS 31
Spruce-Fir Forest 31
Grassy Bald 34
Heath Bald 36
High-Elevation Rock Outcrop 39
High-Elevation Red Oak Forest 42
Northern Hardwood Forest 46
Rich Cove Forest 50
Acidic Cove Forest 54
Spray Cliff 57
Rocky Streamside 59
Mountain Bog 62
Chestnut Oak Forest 66
Pine-Oak-Heath 69
Forest Edge 72
2 The PIedmoNT 77
River Bluff Forest 77
Alluvial Forest 80
Basic Mesic Forest 84
Oak-Hickory Forest 88
Xeric Hardpan Forest 92
Granite Outcrop 95
Roadside and Field 99
Part III. Plant Community Profiles 103
1 The moUNTaINS 105
High-Elevation Communities 105
Spruce-Fir Forest 105
Grassy Bald 110
Heath Bald 115
High-Elevation Rock Outcrop 119
High-Elevation Red Oak Forest 124
Northern Hardwood Forest 129
Low-Elevation Moist to Wet Communities 135
Rich Cove Forest 135
Acidic Cove Forest 141
Spray Cliff 147
Rocky Streamside 151
Mountain Bog 156
Low-Elevation Dry Communities 163
Chestnut Oak Forest 163
Pine-Oak-Heath 168
Forest Edge 173
2 The PIedmoNT 179
Moist to Wet Communities 179
River Bluff Forest 179
Alluvial Forest 184
Basic Mesic Forest 190
Dry Communities 195
Oak-Hickory Forest 195
Xeric Hardpan Forest 200
Granite Outcrop 205
Roadside and Field 211
Part IV. Species Profiles 217
1 TreeS 219
2 ShrUBS aNd woody vINeS 269
3 herBaCeoUS PlaNTS 325
Glossary of Botanical Terms 471 / Selected Natural Areas 476 / 
Suggested Reading 495 / Websites 498 / Index of Scientific Plant Names 499 / 
Index of Common Plant Names 509 
Illustrations of basic plant structures appear at the back of the book, after the indexes.
The Region Covered
Map 1. The southern Appalachian mountain and piedmont regions of the southeastern United States
The 21 major plant communities described in this book are best represented in the
southern Appalachian mountains and the adjoining piedmont. Readers outside
these regions may also find this book of interest, as many of the 340 plant species
described here are widely distributed throughout the Southeast.
ix