Name:
Alnus incana Seasonally Flooded Shrubland Alliance
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This alliance occurs adjacent to streams, lakes, and seeps in the midwestern and western United States and southern Canada. The elevation of stands range from near sea level in the Midwest to 2800 m in Utah. In the Midwest, soils are wet, often mucks or peats. The water is non-stagnant, nutrient-rich, and often slightly calcareous. In the West, stands are located on active fluvial surfaces, floodplains and streambanks, along moderate to steep-gradient streams. Stands are found on well-aerated, alluvial soils that range in texture from silty loam to sandy loam. Some soils have a large percentage of coarse fragments in the upper horizons. Soils are wet throughout the growing season and are flooded during spring runoff. Tall shrubs (2-8 m) dominate stands, with a moderately open to dense shrub canopy. Alnus incana often forms a dense canopy, but in more open stands, other tall and short shrubs, such as Cornus sericea, Ribes inerme, Ribes lacustre, Rosa woodsii, Rubus idaeus, Salix spp., Spiraea douglasii, Symphoricarpos spp., and Viburnum spp. can be found. The herbaceous layer often has a rich diversity of species; the density of the layer varies inversely with the cover of the tall-shrub canopy. Aconitum columbianum, Athyrium filix-femina, Calamagrostis canadensis, Caltha palustris, Carex spp., Equisetum arvense, Impatiens capensis, Lycopus uniflorus, Maianthemum stellatum, Symplocarpus foetidus, Thelypteris palustris, and Typha spp. are common herbaceous associates. Trees are found in many stands of this alliance and can include Acer rubrum, Fraxinus nigra, Picea pungens, Populus angustifolia, and Thuja occidentalis.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18093.ALNUSINCANASEAS
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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