The Central and southern Appalachian montane oak forest is a forest system found in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. These forests occur on exposed sites such as ridgecrests and south- to west-facing slopes, typically from about elevation, but sometimes extending to . Soils are thin, weathered, nutrient-poor, low in organic matter, and acidic. Trees are often stunted and wind-flagged.

Flora

The Central and southern Appalachian montane oak forest commonly includes: the Northern red oak (''

Quercus rubra ''Quercus rubra'', the northern red oak, is an oak tree in the red oak group (''Quercus'' section ''Lobatae''). It is a native of North America, in the eastern and central United States and southeast and south-central Canada. It has been introdu ...

'') and white oak (''

Quercus alba An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

''), and sprouts of American chestnut (''

Castanea dentata The American chestnut (''Castanea dentata'') is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree of the beech family native to eastern North America. As is true of all species in genus Castanea, the American chestnut produces burred fruit with edible nuts. ...

''). Common shrubs include: Winterberry (''

Ilex montana ''Ilex montana'', the mountain winterberry (or "mountain holly" which is more typically ''Ilex mucronata''), is a species of holly native to the Eastern United States, ranging along the Appalachian Mountains from southeast Massachusetts to northe ...

''), flame azalea (''

Rhododendron calendulaceum ''Rhododendron calendulaceum'', the flame azalea, is a species of '' Rhododendron'' native to North America. All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans. Description It is a deciduous shrub, 120–450 cm tall. The leaves are simple ...

''), catawba rhododendron (''

Rhododendron catawbiense ''Rhododendron catawbiense'', with common names Catawba rosebay, Catawba rhododendron, mountain rosebay, purple ivy, purple laurel, purple rhododendron, red laurel, rosebay, rosebay laurel, is a species of '' Rhododendron'' native to the eastern ...

''), and great rhododendron (''

Rhododendron maximum ''Rhododendron maximum'' — its common names include great laurel, great rhododendron, rosebay rhododendron, American rhododendron and big rhododendron — is a species of ''Rhododendron'' native to the Appalachians of eastern North America, fro ...

'').

References

{{reflist * Forests of the United States Plant communities of West Virginia Plant communities of Virginia Plant communities of Kentucky Plant communities of Tennessee Plant communities of North Carolina Plant communities of South Carolina Plant communities of Georgia (U.S. state) Natural history of the Great Smoky Mountains Appalachian forests

Flora

See also

References