Piedmont Granite Outcrops
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Piedmont Granitic Outcrops are expanses of granitoid rock (granite, granitic gneiss, migmatite) that are interspersed with a mosaic of vegetation that varies from lichen and moss on bare rock to gorgeous "dish gardens" where annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees, grow depending upon the soil depth. Vernal pools fill with water in winter and spring and are dry in summer and fall, save in very moist years. These pools are home to rare plants, tadpoles, and fairy shrimp. The outcrops may be steep-sided domes or "flatrocks." They are sometimes called "biological deserts" because of the extreme heat and dryness they experience in summer. A variety of birds and pollinators make the outcrops home.
What's special: granite outcrops are among the crown jewels of Georgia's natural communities because they are spectacularly beautiful in spring, when red diamorpha, yellow ragwort, and other wildflowers carpet many areas, and in the fall, when the endemic Stone Mountain daisies are in flower. Granite outcrops host rare, endemic plants found nowhere else, and Georgia has more of these outcrops than any other state. Related to: Similar to Glades and Barrens, which lack the well-developed dish gardens, dome shape, and temporary pools. Related to: Similar to Glades and Barrens, which lack the well-developed dish gardens, dome shape, and temporary pools. Learn MORE HERE about plant adaptations to rocky places. Learn MORE HERE about Piedmont rock types and their affect on plants. |
Landscapes
Birds of the outcrops and surrounding woodlands |
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Plants Click on a plant name to see images. Plant lists in order by scientific name. Trees Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea Dwarf hackberry Celtis tenuifolia Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana Black cherry Prunus serotina Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata Loblolly pine Pinus taeda Georgia oak Quercus georgiana Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica Rock chestnut oak Quercus montana Post oak Quercus stellata Winged elm Ulmus alata Shrubs Fringe-tree Chionanthus virginicus Wafer ash Ptelea trifoliata Winged sumac Rhus copallinum Sparkleberry Vaccinium arboreum Curlyleaf yucca Yucca filamentosa Vines Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens Greenbrier (whiteleaf/sawbrier) Smilax glauca Muscadine Vitis rotundifolia Trumpet vine Campsis radicans Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Ground Layer Wildflowers Slender gerardia Agalinis tenuifolia Flatrock onion Allium speculae Erect dayflower Commelina erecta Large-flowered coreopsis Coreopsis grandiflora Glade rushfoil Croton wildenowii Poorjoe Diodia teres Diamorpha/Elf-orpine Diamorpha cymosa Snorklewort/Pool sprite Gratiola amphiantha Stone Mountain daisy Helianthus porteri Pineweed Hypericum gentianoides Dwarf dandelion Krigia virginica Small-head blazing star Liatris microchephala Early saxifrage Micranthes virginiensis Sandwort Minuartia uniflora False garlic Nothoscordum bivalve Toadflax Nuttallanthus canadensis Sundrops Oenothera fruticosa Eastern prickly pear Opuntia humifusa Woolly ragwort/Rabbit ears Packera tomentosa Flatrock phacelia Phacelia maculata Appalachian rockpink Phemeranthus teretifolius Sunnybells Schoenolirion croceum Hairy spiderwort Tradescantia hirsuticaulis Smooth spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis Grasses and Sedges Bentgrass Agrostis elliottiana (drawing only) Old-field broomstraw Andropogon virginicus Downy oat grass Danthonia sericea Poverty oat grass Danthonia spicata Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Bryophytes Reindeer lichens Cladonia/Cladina spp. Rockmoss Grimmia laevigata Crustose lichens Parmelia spp. Haircap moss Polytrichum commune Xanthos(Xanthoparmelias spp. |
Representative trees in order by scientific name Representative shrubs in order by scientific name.
Representative ground layer plants in order of scientific name.
Bryophytes
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