Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially antigorite, lizardite, and chrysotile or white asbestos, all of which are commonly found in ultramafic rocks. The term "serpentine" is commonly used to refer to both the soil type and the mineral group which forms its parent materials.
Solidago multiradiata, Erigeron aureus, and Adiantum aleuticum in rocky serpentine soil
Serpentine outcrop high in the Siskiyou Wilderness of northwest California—here Jeffrey pine dominates the landscape.
Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area in Maryland
Unlike most ecosystems, in serpentine barrens, there is less plant growth closer to a stream, due to toxic minerals in the water.
Ultramafic rocks are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content, generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are composed of usually greater than 90% mafic minerals. The Earth's mantle is composed of ultramafic rocks. Ultrabasic is a more inclusive term that includes igneous rocks with low silica content that may not be extremely enriched in Fe and Mg, such as carbonatites and ultrapotassic igneous rocks.
Peridotite, a type of ultramafic rock