Ecosystems

New growth in the rare Floodplain Canebreak plant community

Cowpens National Battlefield is a part of the southern outer piedmont ecoregion and supports six ecological systems, four of which are considered natural. The natural communities include the following:

• Southern Piedmont Mesic Subacid Oak-Hickory Forest
• Interior Southern Red Oak – White Oak Forest
• Piedmont Granitic White Oak – Black Oak Woodland
• Floodplain Canebrake

The Piedmont Granitic White Oak-Black Oak Woodland is an especially rare ecosystem. This plant community is only found in a set of locations in Virginia and one within Cowpens.

The Foodplain Canebrake community is another example of a rare plant community within the park's boundaries.