An Acer barbatum-rich Ravine Forest Community in the Virginia Coastal Plain
Ware DM and Ware S. 1992. An Acer barbatum-rich Ravine Forest Community in the Virginia Coastal Plain. Castanea. 57(2):110-122
An inventory of a steep sloped ravine cut into the calcareous Pliocene marine deposit in the Grove Creek watershed of the Virginia Coastal plain revealed the presence of the florda sugar maple, Acer barbatum (syn. Acer floridanum (Chapm.) Pax.). This plant and several others were found to be near or at their northern limits. Acer barbatum has been regarded as a potentially important component of maturing upland hardwood forests of the Gulf and southern Atlantic coastal plains. However, recent studies of upland hardwood forest composition in the Virginia Coastal Plain have encountered no stands containing this species. It and other species near their northern range limits have been found in a steep-sloped ravine system cut into calcareous Pliocene marine deposits in the Grove Creek watershed, James City County, VA. Quantitative sampling of the vegetation showed that Acer barbatum had the highest basal area in the stand, but was slightly less abundant than Fagus grandifolia in the canopy and much less abundant in the understory.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Ware, Donna; Ware, Stewart
- Units
- COLO
- Keywords
- Acer barbatum, calcareous ravine, Grove Creek, Hog Island, mountain-coastal plain disjuncts, southern sugar maple
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities