Grassy Balds
Grassy balds are dominated by grasses, such as mountain oat grass (Danthonia compressa), and sedges (Carex spp.) (Wells 1937, Mark 1958, Whittaker 1956) occasionally interrupted by small rock outcrops. The largest of these balds occur at elevations over 5,000 ft along the North Carolina-Tennessee state line on the Roan Mountain Massif, the Unaka Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains, and in the Nantahala Mountains of southwestern North Carolina. While there are no species recognized as being unique to these communities, they harbor regionally endemic and rare species of mammals, birds, and vascular plants associated with grasslands and high-elevation climates (Deselm and Murdock 1993). Example species include: Grays lily (Lilium grayi), Blue Ridge goldenrod (Solidago spithamaea), Roan Mountain bluet (Houstonia montana), Spreading avens (Geum radiatum), rock gnome lichen (Gymnoderma lineare), and alder flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum). Grassy balds cover broad open ridges and dome-shaped peaks, and their topography and environmentare more hospitable for plant growth and large animal use than those of heath balds. A few balds occupy gaps (Mark 1958).
Representative species of Grassy Balds:
- Mountain oat grass (Danthonia compressa)
- Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica)
- Wavy hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa)
- Dwarf cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis)
- Filmy angelica (Angelica triquinata)
- Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
- Allegheny blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis )
- Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense)
- Mountain ash (Sorbus americana)
- Flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)
Encyclopedia ID: p1597
