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The Sycamore - River Birch Floodplain Forest is an unusual natural community of stunted and sparse trees, mostly American sycamore, growing on gravel bars alongside or in the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. The trees bear evidence of repeated flooding. The low plants include the flood-tolerant American water-willow, blue mistflower, and halberd-leaf rosemallow.
Can you find this combination of key features?
Identifying This Natural Community
- Stunted and widely spaced trees (mostly young saplings), with American sycamore usually being the biggest
- Eastern poison-ivy
- A sparse layer of low plants, which may include American water-willow, blue mistflower, common three-seed mercury, dotted smartweed, halberd-leaf rosemallow, Indian-hemp, or late-flowering thoroughwort
- Evidence of frequent flooding, such as battered trunks, leaning trees, and piles of debris (branches, logs, etc.)
- Location: along the Potomac or Shenandoah rivers, on a bar of boulders, smaller stones, and sand
If so, welcome to the Sycamore - River Birch Floodplain Forest at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
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