Vascular Flora of the Yew Mountain Center, Pocahontas County, West Virginia
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Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science Original Research Paper Vascular Flora of the Yew Mountain Center, Pocahontas County, West Virginia Michael J. Baranski 1 1Department of Biology, Catawba College, Salisbury, NC, USA Article history Abstract: A baseline floristic study was conducted on the 500 acre Yew Received: 8 March 2021 Mountain Center (YMC) in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The YMC Revised: 30 April 2021 is a non-profit educational center providing programs emphasizing Accepted: 3 May 2021 Appalachian ecology, culture, and arts, with one of its goals being the development of field research and study opportunities for outside *Corresponding Author: researchers and students. Field work conducted in 2019-2021 resulted in Michael J. Baranski, Catawba 383 recorded vascular plant taxa, with 25 new additions to the known College, Salisbury, NC, USA; Pocahontas County flora (possibly as many as 83 total new taxa have been Email: found by the author in the county). The majority of the new additions were [email protected] not unexpected. Two taxa (Juglans cinerea and Prunus alleghaniensis var. alleghaniensis) are significant occurrences tracked by the West Virginia Natural Heritage Program. Approximately 85% of the taxa are historical natives, as compared to 75% native flora for West Virginia as a whole. The primarily forested YMC harbors a diverse assemblage of Mixed Mesophytic, Mixed Hardwood and Appalachian Oak forest communities that is relatively free of exotic invasive and noxious weed infestations. The study demonstrates how a moderately-intensive examination of a small area can result in a significant increase in floristic knowledge of a region. Keywords: Yew Mountain Center, Pocahontas County, floristics. Introduction comprehensive work. The project soon evolved into a more deliberate and thorough effort to assist the The Yew Mountain Center (YMC) is a recently development of floristic data about the biota of the organized (2017) non-profit organization located on YMC, to provide a preliminary baseline understanding 500 remote acres in southern Pocahontas County, West of the vascular flora in support of future projects, and Virginia (WV), near the community of Lobelia. Its to provide information in a form that would be helpful mission is to be an educational center providing and useful to lay managers and administrators of the programs emphasizing Appalachian ecology, culture, YMC. and arts. The Center offers courses, workshops, Unlike many of the more glamorous and retreats, facilities for meetings, lodging, resources for botanically exciting areas in Pocahontas County that teachers, and field trip opportunities (www.yew have received a lot of attention by botanists and mountain.org), with one of its goals being the ecologists over the years, the YMC is located in a development of a field research and study center section that may be considered rather ordinary. The suitable for outside researchers and graduate students YMC lies on the western edge of the Valley and Ridge utilizing the YMC property and the other outstanding physiographic province, at the boundary of the biological and ecological resources that Pocahontas Allegheny Mountain physiographic province, between County offers. the Allegheny Front and the typical Valley and Ridge This study began with only casual botanizing to physiography. Elevation ranges from 2600-3800 ft gather some observational data for use by YMC above msl. Topography generally consists of narrow administrators and with no intention of developing a and broad ridges, oriented perpendicular to the highest cross-ridgeline. Slopes vary from gentle to steep above PWVAS 1 Baranski, Proc West Virginia Acad Sci 2021, 93:2; 1-13 shallow and deep ravines. The acidic soils are derived Traverses through the area primarily followed the many from Paleozoic strata, mostly sandstones and siltstones existing hiking trails and roads and old logging and skid on ridges and slopes and some shales in narrow valleys ways, with explorations off-route where interest and ravines. Limestone based soils do not appear to be dictated; however, several traverses were conducted present on the YMC; however, large areas of karst through sections lacking trails. Special effort was topography exist just below the eastern boundary and expended to explore the complete variety of habitats some limestone-derived soils are mapped in that area and topographic settings on the YMC. A preliminary (Flegel 1998). Much of the landscape is very stony. checklist was produced in November 2019. Two intermittent to perennial streams drain most of the Identifications were primarily based on Strausbaugh YMC watershed and disappear into sinkholes short and Core (1977), Weakley et al. (2012), and Weakley distances outside the boundary. The drainage pattern of (2020). Taxonomic names follow Weakley (2020). the region is primarily dendritic, but much of the Harmon et al. (2006) was the primary source of streamflow occurs underground before reaching the distributional data used for WV plants. Supplemental Greenbrier River. distributional information was sourced from The Plants The vegetation is primarily forested (90%), Database (USDA 2021) and SERNEC (Southeastern consisting mostly of variants of older second-growth Regional Network of Expertise and Collections, Data Mixed Mesophytic Forest, Mixed Hardwood Forest, Portal 2021). Nativity (origin) information follows and Appalachian Oak Forest (Clarkson 1966; Core Harmon et al. (2006) and Weakley (2020). Family 1966; Stephenson 2013). Drier upper ridgelines and treatments follow Weakley (2020). Equivalent and slopes are oak and hickory dominated, while lower synonymous names (including family names) used in slopes and ravines are dominated by mesic Strausbaugh and Core (1977, [S & C]), the classic assemblages. The widespread open mid-slopes are standard treatment of the WV flora, are given in occupied by variations of subxeric to submesic montane brackets when they differ from Weakley (2020); mixed oak forest, oak-hickory forest, and mixed however, minor orthographic errors and subspecific hardwood forest. Forests with pines abundant or nomenclatural differences (particularly when dominant are not present. Hydric and bottomland subspecies and varieties can be assumed) are not noted. forests are poorly developed and essentially absent. Varieties (var.) and subspecies (ssp.) are given if Examples of canopy dominance in individual stands nomenclaturally recognized and identified during the include the following: Chestnut Oak; White Oak; White field work. Common names are those preferred by the Oak/Black Oak/hickory; Shagbark Hickory; Sugar author as selected from those used in modern manuals. Maple/mixed oak-hickory; Red Oak/hickory/Yellow All taxa recorded here were personally observed Poplar/American Beech/Mountain Basswood/White by the author unless otherwise noted. Taxa are Ash; Sugar Maple/hickory; Black Cherry; Yellow identified to species and sub-specific categories as far Buckeye; Sugar Maple with small component as possible. Enigmatic specimens are noted with aff. Mountain Basswood, Yellow Poplar, White Ash, and (closely matches). Nativity is noted, as well as state American Beech. Some of these forests are relatively rare taxa tracked by the WV Natural Heritage Program young, being former pastures or crop lands abandoned (WVDNR 2020). A notation on abundance and within the last 50 years. Bogs and other wetlands are frequency on the YMC is given when it can be stated essentially non-existent, except for seeps and small with a fair degree of confidence; this determination is areas in a few broader ravines and in riparian areas subject to refinement with additional field work. Taxa associated with several man-made ponds on the discovered to be new records for Pocahontas County property. There are some small areas of rock based on distributional information in Harmon et al. outcroppings on the highest cross-ridgeline and along (2006) are noted. Voucher collections were made for some of the deeper ravines. Numerous old fields in nearly one-third of the taxa, including most of the various early successional stages are present. There are county records; collected specimens are indicated many disturbed areas around the structures, developed following the name. Abbreviations and symbols for all areas, roads, and trails. notations are given below at the beginning of the checklist. Specimens will be deposited at the herbaria Materials and Methods CATU (Catawba College) and WVA (West Virginia University). This checklist of the vascular flora of the YMC is the result of field work conducted from late March Results and Discussion through early October in 2019 (10 visits), 2020 (7 visits), and 2021 (1 visit). Visits consisted of several- A total of 383 taxa were identified for the YMC hour to all-day investigations throughout the YMC. during this study (338 in 2019, 41 in 2020, 4 in 2021). PWVAS 2 Baranski, Proc West Virginia Acad Sci 2021, 93:2; 1-13 This is approximately 29% of the 1320 taxa known for status ranks, but only two are significant occurrences. Pocahontas County (author’s unpublished data). Of Pinus resinosa (critically imperiled, S1 conservation these, up to 25 taxa are new additions to the published status) occurs naturally only in Hardy and Pendleton known county flora; 20 are new discoveries and five Counties; it is introduced and naturalized on the YMC had previously been found elsewhere in Pocahontas and, therefore, of no distributional significance. County