Natural Communities of Georgia
  • Home
  • Piedmont
    • Piedmont Overview
    • Mesic (Moist) Forests
    • Oak-Pine-Hickory Forests
    • Bottomland/Floodplain Forest
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands and Edges
    • Montane Longleaf
    • Prairies and Savannas (Upland)
    • Seepage Wetlands; Wet Meadows and Thickets
    • Granite Outcrops
    • Glades, Barrens, and Woodlands
    • Ultramafic Barrens and Woodlands
    • Cliffs and Bluffs
  • Blue Ridge
    • Blue Ridge Overview
    • Northern Hardwoods
    • Montane Oak Forests
    • Mesic (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
    • Overview of Cumberland /Ridge & Valley
    • Mesic Forests
    • Dry Calcareous Forests
    • Acidic Oak-Pine Forests
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands
    • Montane Longleaf Ridge & Valley
    • Calcareous (Cedar) Glades
    • Calcareous Cliffs
    • Calcareous Prairies and Barrens
    • Acidic Glades and Barrens
    • Acidic Cliffs and Outcrops
    • Acidic Seepage Wetlands
    • Bottomlands and Flooplains
  • Plant Adaptations to Deciduous Forests
  • Plant Adaptations to Rock Outcrops
  • Common Rocks of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge

Montane Longleaf Woodlands

​These are woodlands that are dominated or co-dominated by longleaf pine.  They are called "montane" in contrast to the longleaf woodlands of the Coastal Plain. In the Georgia Piedmont and Cumberland Plateau/Ridge and Valley, these woodlands grow on steep, south-facing, very dry slopes that experienced fire fairly frequently.  
​What's special: These are rare and fascinating communities.  As with other woodlands, the combination of trees and a well developed ground cover provides a diversity of plant and animal life.  Longleaf pine is superbly adapted to fire, and is habitat for the rare red-cockaded woodpecker.     
Indicator species:  Longleaf pine
Related communities:  closely related to Pine-Oak Woodlands, which do not have longleaf pine.  Without fire, the community will gradually succeed to an Oak-Pine-Hickory Forest.
These are woodlands that are dominated or co-dominated by longleaf pine.  They are called "montane" in contrast to the longleaf woodlands of the Coastal Plain. In the Georgia Piedmont and Cumberland Plateau/Ridge and Valley, these woodlands grow on steep, south-facing, very dry slopes that experienced fire fairly frequently.
Plants 
Click on a plant name to see images. 
  

​Trees
Loblolly pine Pinus taeda
Longleaf pine Pinus palustris
Shortleaf pine  Pinus echinata​​
Scarlet oak  Quercus coccinea
Southern red oak  Quercus falcata
Black oak  Quercus velutina
Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica
Rock chestnut oak  Quercus montana

Post oak  Quercus stellata
Black oak  Quercus velutina
​
​Shrubs
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus
Winged sumac Rhus copallinum
Dewberry (common) Rubus flagellaris
Blackberry (eastern) Rubus pensilvanicus
Horse sugar  Symplocos tinctoria
​Sparkleberry Vaccinium arboreum
Hillside blueberry   Vaccinium pallidum
Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum

Vines
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
​​Muscadine Vitis rotundifolia 

Ground Layer Forbs (forbs of dry woodlands)
Gerardia (purple) Agalinis purpurea
Gerardia (slender) Agalinis tenuifolia​
Pussytoes Antennaria plantaginifolia
Hemp dogbane Apocynum cannabinum
Clasping milkweed Asclepias amplexicaulis     
Butterfly weed 
Asclepias tuberosa
White milkweed Asclepias variegata
Thick-pod white wild indigo Baptisia alba
Creamy wild indigo Baptisia bracteata
Wild indigo  Baptisia tinctoria
Spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata   
Maryland golden-aster  Chrysopsis mariana
Butterfly pea Clitoria mariana 
Tread-softly Cnidoscolus stimulosus
Erect dayflower Commelina erecta
Lobed coreopsis Coreopsis auriculata   
Large-flowered coreopsis
 Coreopsis grandiflora
Woodland coreopsis Coreopsis major
Elephant's-foot (leafy) Elephantopus carolinianus
Elephant's-foot (common) Elephantopus tomentosus
Robin's plantain Erigeron pulchellus​
Hyssopleaf boneset Eupatorium hyssopifolium
Late flowering boneset Eupatorium serotinum
Sessile-leaf boneset Eupatorium sessilifolium
Appalachian sunflower  Helianthus atrorubens
Spreading sunflower Helianthus divaricatus
Hairy sunflower Helianthus hirsutus
Longleaf sunflower Helianthus longifolius
Small-headed sunflower  Helianthus microcephalus
Roughleaf sunflower Helianthus strumosus   
Veiny hawkweed  Hieracium venosum​
Quaker ladies  Houstonia caerulea
Spotted St. John's-Wort  Hypericum punctatum
​Yellow stargrass Hypoxis hirsutus
Dwarf iris  Iris verna
Hairy lespedeza Lespedeza hirta
Downy trailing lespedeza Lespedeza procumbens 
Smooth trailing lespedeza Lespedeza repens 
Blazing star (dense) Liatris spicata
Blazing star (scaly) Liatris squarrosa
Carolina lily  Lilium michauxii
Downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
Sensitive briar Mimosa microphylla     
Appalachian bergamot  Monarda fistulosa
Bee-balm (spotted) Monarda punctata
​False garlic Nothoscordum bivalve
Wild quinine Parthenium integrifolium
Lousewort Pedicularis canadensis
Pokeweed Phytolacca americana
Silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia
Rabbit tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
​Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
​Fire pink Silene virginica
Rosinweed Silphium compositum
Blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Horse nettle Solanum carolinense
Forest goldenrod Solidago arguta 
Slender goldenrod Solidago erecta   
Eastern gray goldenrod
 Solidago nemoralus
Licorice goldenrod/Fragrant goldenrod  Solidago odora
Pencil-flower  Stylosanthes biflora
Eastern silvery aster Symphyotrichum concolor    
Calico aster Symphyotrichum laterifolum ​     
Clasping aster Symphyotrichum patens
Frost aster Symphyotrichum pilosum
Virginia goat's-rue  Tephrosia virginiana
Spiderwort (hairy) Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
Blue curls Trichostema dichotomum
Bird's-foot violet  Viola pedata
​     
Grasses and Sedges
Splitbeard bluestem Andropogon ternarius
Oval leaf sedge  Carex cephalophora
Black-edged sedge  Carex micromarginata
Silky oat-grass Danthonia sericea
Poverty oat-grass  Danthonia spicata
Bigtop lovegrass Eragrostis hirsuta
Purple lovegrass  Eragrostis spectabilis
Eastern beard grass Gymnopogon ambiguus
Pink muhly grass/hairgrass  Muhlenbergia capillaris
Eastern needlegrass  Piptochaetium avenaceum
Little bluestem  Schizachyrium scoparium
Yellow Indiangrass  Sorghastrum nutans
Purpletop/Greasy grass Tridens flavus
​​Gamma grass Tripsacum dactyloides
​
Ferns
Bracken fern Pteridium latiusculum



Representative Trees in order of scientific name.

Representative Shrubs in order by scientific name

Representative Ground Layer in order by scientific name

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 for useful information you'd like to see included are welcome.  Email: naturalcommsga@gmail.com

  • Home
  • Piedmont
    • Piedmont Overview
    • Mesic (Moist) Forests
    • Oak-Pine-Hickory Forests
    • Bottomland/Floodplain Forest
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands and Edges
    • Montane Longleaf
    • Prairies and Savannas (Upland)
    • Seepage Wetlands; Wet Meadows and Thickets
    • Granite Outcrops
    • Glades, Barrens, and Woodlands
    • Ultramafic Barrens and Woodlands
    • Cliffs and Bluffs
  • Blue Ridge
    • Blue Ridge Overview
    • Northern Hardwoods
    • Montane Oak Forests
    • Mesic (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
    • Overview of Cumberland /Ridge & Valley
    • Mesic Forests
    • Dry Calcareous Forests
    • Acidic Oak-Pine Forests
    • Pine-Oak Woodlands
    • Montane Longleaf Ridge & Valley
    • Calcareous (Cedar) Glades
    • Calcareous Cliffs
    • Calcareous Prairies and Barrens
    • Acidic Glades and Barrens
    • Acidic Cliffs and Outcrops
    • Acidic Seepage Wetlands
    • Bottomlands and Flooplains
  • Plant Adaptations to Deciduous Forests
  • Plant Adaptations to Rock Outcrops
  • Common Rocks of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge