The second community in this site has a canopy of Pinus 

 taeda and Chamaecyparis thyoides which is open enough to allow the 

 dense growth of shrubs below. This site at the toe of the slope 

 is considerably drier than that previously described. 



West of the escarpment the slopes level off abruptly into 

 the Ilex thicket. The canopy becomes more sparse to the west and 

 pine is replaced by Nyssa sylvatica bif lora / Acer rubrum / Woodwardia 

 areolata . Close to the slope there is no ground cover — just a 

 shrub layer within the gradient from pine to gum. 



CANAL ISLAND 



Canal Island is so named because it is bisected by an old, 

 partially filled, canal or ditch which runs down to a small 

 tributary of Sarem Creek. It rises only about two feet above the 

 surrounding swamp. It is covered primarily with beech, with a few 

 Liriodendron tulipifera , Oxydendron ; Quercus nigra and Ilex opaca . 

 Around the border of the island is a zone of Arundinaria and Smilax 

 that is dense in places. This island is ringed by scattered large 

 Pinus taeda (around 2 feet dbh) along its moist perimeter. About 

 50 feet south and 200 feet from the canal Habenaria clavellata 

 grows on low, moist hummocks above a dark, mucky swamp soil. This 

 small swamp forest orchid is widespread throughout the swamp in 

 similar situations. 



SAREM CREEK 



The majority of the marsh species at the mouth of Sarem 

 Creek occur on low hummocks, mostly Carex stricta and Carex alata 

 derived. Large populations of Peltandra virginica occur between the 

 hummocks. Apios americana and Lathyrus palustris serve effectively 

 to bind the vegetation together. The marsh itself, consisting of 

 the hummocks and the surrounding muck of the Dorovan Series, 

 extends 50 to 150 feet inland to a shrubby area consisting of a 

 young Acer rub rum canopy with Myrica cerifera and Alnus serrulata 

 as codominants in the under story. As the inland swamp forest is 

 approached, the frequency of Arundinaria gigantea increases. Some 

 Typha latif olia and Rubus argutus , as well as Fraxinus caroliniana , 

 are found sporadically (all trees were less than 4 inches dbh) . 

 Several species of herbs ( Ludwigia palustris , Carex stricta , Apios 

 americana , Mikania scandens, Peltandra virginica , Hibiscus 

 mosheutos . Polygonum arifolium and P^. punctatum ) are characteristic 

 of the flora beneath the canopy. All of the trees are growing on 

 the hummocks, which may extend up to 18 inches above the mucky peat. 



There is a shrub zone surrounding a small area of larger 

 trees. This consists of Acer rubrum up to 6 inches dbh (8 inches 

 near the pines) with an extensive subcanopy of Myrica cerifera and 

 Alnus serrulata . Major species below this are: Peltandra virginica . 

 Polygonum punctatum, Osmunda regalis (all three very abundant) 



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