Natural Communities of North Georgia
  • Home
  • Piedmont
    • Piedmont Overview
    • Mesic (Moist) Forests
    • Oak-Pine-Hickory Forests
    • Bottomland/Floodplain Forest
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands
    • Montane Longleaf
    • Prairies and Savannas (Upland)
    • Wet Meadows and Marshes
    • Granite Outcrops
    • Glades, Barrens, and Woodlands
    • Ultramafic Barrens and Woodlands
    • Cliffs and Bluffs
    • Flatwoods (Upland Depression Swamps)
  • Blue Ridge
    • Blue Ridge Overview
    • Northern Hardwoods
    • Montane Oak Forests
    • Fertile Cove Forests
    • Acidic Cove Forests
    • Oak Forests
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands
    • High Elevation Outcrops
    • Mafic Dome Rock Outcrops
    • Rock Outcrops, Cliffs and Bluffs
    • Ultramafic Barrens and Woodlands
    • Mountain Bogs
    • Seepage Wetlands
    • Spray Cliffs
    • Montane Bottomlands and Flooplains
  • Cumberland Ridge & Valley
    • Cumberland Ridge & Valley Overview
    • Mesic Forests
    • Dry Calcareous Forests
    • Acidic Oak-Pine Forests
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands
    • Montane Longleaf
    • Calcareous (Cedar) Glades
    • Calcareous Cliffs
    • Calcareous Prairies and Barrens
    • Acidic Glades and Barrens
    • Acidic Cliffs and Outcrops
    • Flatwoods
    • Acidic Seepage Wetlands
    • Bottomlands and Flooplains
  • Plant Adaptations to Rock Outcrops
  • Plant Adaptations to Deciduous Forests

Piedmont Granite Outcrops  

Piedmont Granitic Outcrops are outcroppings of granitoid rock (granite, granitic gneiss, migmatite). The outcrops may be steep-sided domes or "flatrocks."  Expanses of rock are interspersed with a mosaic of vegetation that includes from lichen and moss on bare rock, to shallow depressions where "dish gardens" of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees grow.  Some depressions, called vernal pools, fill with water in winter and spring and are  typically dry in summer and fall.   The outcrops 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 and they host many endemic species..  In early spring, red diamorpha (elf orpine), yellow ragwort, and other wildflowers carpet many areas, and vernal pools host rare plants, tadpoles, and fairy shrimp.  In the fall,   endemic Stone Mountain daisies are in flower, creating huge swathes of bright color that contrast with other fall wildflowers.  Georgia has more of these outcrops than any other state.  
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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.
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Landscapes

Birds of the outcrops and surrounding woodlands

Plants
Click on a plant name to see images.  Plant lists in order by scientific name. ​
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​​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
Beautyberry  Callicarpa americana
Fringe-tree  Chionanthus virginicus
Wafer ash Ptelea trifoliata
Winged sumac 
 Rhus copallinum
Sparkleberry Vaccinium arboreum
Curlyleaf yucca Yucca filamentosa

Vines
Trumpet vine Campsis radicans
Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens
Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens

Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Greenbrier (whiteleaf/sawbrier) Smilax glauca
Muscadine Vitis rotundifolia 


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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 microcephala
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
Pokeweed  Phytolacca americana
Rock outcrop milkwort  Polygala curtisii
​Sunnybells    Schoenolirion croceum
Hairy spiderwort  Tradescantia hirsuticaulis  
Smooth spiderwort  Tradescantia ohiensis


Grasses, Sedges and Rushes
Bentgrass Agrostis elliottiana  (drawing only)
Old-field broomstraw  Andropogon virginicus
Downy oat grass Danthonia sericea
Poverty oat grass Danthonia spicata
Little bluestem  Schizachyrium scoparium
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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 and woody vines in order by scientific name.
Representative ground layer plants in order of scientific name. 
Bryophytes
Picture

​Contents of this site are based on the book The Natural Communities of Georgia, which can be purchased from the University of Georgia Press, Amazon, and other vendors.
​



This site is a work in progress: comments and suggestions are welcome.  Email: ​naturalcommsga@gmail.com

  • Home
  • Piedmont
    • Piedmont Overview
    • Mesic (Moist) Forests
    • Oak-Pine-Hickory Forests
    • Bottomland/Floodplain Forest
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands
    • Montane Longleaf
    • Prairies and Savannas (Upland)
    • Wet Meadows and Marshes
    • Granite Outcrops
    • Glades, Barrens, and Woodlands
    • Ultramafic Barrens and Woodlands
    • Cliffs and Bluffs
    • Flatwoods (Upland Depression Swamps)
  • Blue Ridge
    • Blue Ridge Overview
    • Northern Hardwoods
    • Montane Oak Forests
    • Fertile Cove Forests
    • Acidic Cove Forests
    • Oak Forests
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands
    • High Elevation Outcrops
    • Mafic Dome Rock Outcrops
    • Rock Outcrops, Cliffs and Bluffs
    • Ultramafic Barrens and Woodlands
    • Mountain Bogs
    • Seepage Wetlands
    • Spray Cliffs
    • Montane Bottomlands and Flooplains
  • Cumberland Ridge & Valley
    • Cumberland Ridge & Valley Overview
    • Mesic Forests
    • Dry Calcareous Forests
    • Acidic Oak-Pine Forests
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands
    • Montane Longleaf
    • Calcareous (Cedar) Glades
    • Calcareous Cliffs
    • Calcareous Prairies and Barrens
    • Acidic Glades and Barrens
    • Acidic Cliffs and Outcrops
    • Flatwoods
    • Acidic Seepage Wetlands
    • Bottomlands and Flooplains
  • Plant Adaptations to Rock Outcrops
  • Plant Adaptations to Deciduous Forests