The Vascular Flora and Vegetation of the North Carolina Granite Outcrops

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Abstract
Granite outcrops occur in the Piedmont of North Carolina [USA] in 3 parallel zones associated with marked changes in topography. The outcrops of the west-central and western portion of the state, neglected in the literature, are distinct from, but no less floristically rich than, the Fall-line outcrops. Distributions of characteristic granite outcrop species show 6 general patterns: endemic, restricted endemic, near-endemic, Coastal Plain species, Mountain species and weedy species. These patterns are discussed in relation to available habitats, population differentiation and ecological processes on the outcrops. An insland-hopping model is presented to account for the discrepancy between the apparent antiquity of the flora and the relatively recent origin of specific outcrops. Successional trends on the outcrops are seen as short-term, self-perpetuating fluctuations.