Bryophytes of the Virginia Piedmont Floodplains

An ecological and floristic study of bryophytes was made in the wooded floodplain communities of the Bush River (Prince Edward Co.) and Roanoke Creek (Charlotte Co.) in the south-central piedmont of Virginia. Five distinct microhabitats were identified. These include floodplain soils, exposed tree roots in water, moist decorticated logs, embankments of sloughs and rivers, and trees. Forty-two bryophytes were collected in this community. Of this number, 28 are mosses and 14 are liverworts. Thirteen bryophytes are indicators of specific microhabitats on piedmont floodplains.