OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

South Carolina's Natural Wildflower Communities —

THE PIEDMONT:
The bottomland forest communities

Bottomland forests

Three bottomland forest communities occur in the piedmont: the bald cypress-tupelo gum swamp forests, the hardwood bottoms, and the levee forests. These three communities also occur in the coastal plain. In the piedmont, however, the floodplains have a shorter flooding duration and a lower flooding depth, and the acreage in the piedmont is considerably less than in the coastal plain. In the piedmont, these communities are a minor component of the vegetation, whereas in the coastal plain they are a dominant component. The detailed description of the bottomland forest communities is given under the coastal plain section.

The following are wildflowers that are found only in the piedmont bottomland forests; shrubs include

painted buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica),
bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia),
and silky dogwood (Cornus amomum);

herbs include

golden ragwort (Senecio aureus),
little sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum),
virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana),
yellow fumewort (Corydalis flavula),
and honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis).

 

South Carolina's Natural Wildflower Communities is adapted from A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina by Richard D. Porcher and Douglas A. Rayner. Used by permission.

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