B
bach2yoga
Guest
Tom and Alfonso,
I mentioned this today when you were asking about a particular plant. Here's the particulars:
Dry pine oak forests that we find in our Pine Barrens are generally comprised of Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) and to a lesser degree Short leaf Pine (Pinus echinata) and Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana) , covering 50% or more of the ground.
Oaks include Black oak (Quercus velutina), Chestnut oak (Q. prinus), Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), Post oak (Q. stellata), and White oak (Q. alba) covering no more than 50% of the ground, and typically much less than this.
There are 3 major subtypes:
1. Pine-Blackjack Oak forest
2. Pine-Post Oak forest
3. Pine-Black Oak forest
Under each of these subtypes of dry pine-oak forests are two subtypes which are essentially defined by the understory. The one subtype is dominated by heaths, black huckleberries, (Gaylussacia baccata) and lowbush blueberry, (Vaccinium pallidum) and the other has scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) rising above the heaths. Of these types, obviously, the heath understory can make for an easier bushwacking, at least in the dry pine-oak forests, and depending on the subtype of forest it is in. It's the scrub oak understories that tend to be rougher bushwacking and on that Pine Barrens pinstriping.
1. Pine-Blackjack Oak forest
A lot of the central Pine Barrens is comprised of the first major subtype, ie., Pine-BlackJack Oak (Pinus rigida, Quercus marilandica). The number of post oak (Q. stellata) can be scattered to relatively abundant, and black oak (Q. velutina) and Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) are found sporadically. Fire is very important to this subtype, and McCormick lumps this subtype together with the dwarf plains. Both the heath dominated and the scrub oak dominated understories are found in this subtype.
2. Pine-Post Oak forest
The Pine-Post Oak also occurs in the central Pines (Pinus rigida, Quercus stellata). The breakdown is mostly pitch pine and app. 20% post oak in the canopy. As before, there are two different types of substories, one with scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and Sheep laurel (aka lambkill) Kalmia angustifolia in the undergrowth.
That's what we were in today, and the sheep laurel was the name of the plant you and Alfonso were questioning.
Here's a picture of it in bloom:
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/module...ery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
The other understory subtype under the Pine-Post Oak subtype has more widely spaced trees, and scrub oak and black huckleberries (Gaylussacia baccata) in the undergrowth. Neither of these subtypes is widely distributed.
3. Pine-Black Oak forest
The third subtype is the Pine-Black Oak forest subtype. Again, pitch pine is the dominant canopy tree, with 10-20% of the canopy being Black oak (Quercus velutina),Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), or Spanish oak (Q. falcata). White oak (Quercus alba)and Chestnut oak (Q. prinus) may be present, and Blackjack oak (Q. marilandica) may either be completely absent or frequent. As before, the shrub layers may be dominated by heaths or by scrub oaks.
*information from McCormick 1979, McCormick and Jones, 1973
Renee
I mentioned this today when you were asking about a particular plant. Here's the particulars:
Dry pine oak forests that we find in our Pine Barrens are generally comprised of Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) and to a lesser degree Short leaf Pine (Pinus echinata) and Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana) , covering 50% or more of the ground.
Oaks include Black oak (Quercus velutina), Chestnut oak (Q. prinus), Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), Post oak (Q. stellata), and White oak (Q. alba) covering no more than 50% of the ground, and typically much less than this.
There are 3 major subtypes:
1. Pine-Blackjack Oak forest
2. Pine-Post Oak forest
3. Pine-Black Oak forest
Under each of these subtypes of dry pine-oak forests are two subtypes which are essentially defined by the understory. The one subtype is dominated by heaths, black huckleberries, (Gaylussacia baccata) and lowbush blueberry, (Vaccinium pallidum) and the other has scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) rising above the heaths. Of these types, obviously, the heath understory can make for an easier bushwacking, at least in the dry pine-oak forests, and depending on the subtype of forest it is in. It's the scrub oak understories that tend to be rougher bushwacking and on that Pine Barrens pinstriping.
1. Pine-Blackjack Oak forest
A lot of the central Pine Barrens is comprised of the first major subtype, ie., Pine-BlackJack Oak (Pinus rigida, Quercus marilandica). The number of post oak (Q. stellata) can be scattered to relatively abundant, and black oak (Q. velutina) and Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) are found sporadically. Fire is very important to this subtype, and McCormick lumps this subtype together with the dwarf plains. Both the heath dominated and the scrub oak dominated understories are found in this subtype.
2. Pine-Post Oak forest
The Pine-Post Oak also occurs in the central Pines (Pinus rigida, Quercus stellata). The breakdown is mostly pitch pine and app. 20% post oak in the canopy. As before, there are two different types of substories, one with scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and Sheep laurel (aka lambkill) Kalmia angustifolia in the undergrowth.
That's what we were in today, and the sheep laurel was the name of the plant you and Alfonso were questioning.
Here's a picture of it in bloom:
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/module...ery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
The other understory subtype under the Pine-Post Oak subtype has more widely spaced trees, and scrub oak and black huckleberries (Gaylussacia baccata) in the undergrowth. Neither of these subtypes is widely distributed.
3. Pine-Black Oak forest
The third subtype is the Pine-Black Oak forest subtype. Again, pitch pine is the dominant canopy tree, with 10-20% of the canopy being Black oak (Quercus velutina),Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), or Spanish oak (Q. falcata). White oak (Quercus alba)and Chestnut oak (Q. prinus) may be present, and Blackjack oak (Q. marilandica) may either be completely absent or frequent. As before, the shrub layers may be dominated by heaths or by scrub oaks.
*information from McCormick 1979, McCormick and Jones, 1973
Renee