Name:
Carex (interior, hystericina, flava) - Trichophorum alpinum / Campylium stellatum Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
These are rich, sedge-dominated fens of shallow slopes or small basins, scattered across New England. Most are in calcareous bedrock areas, or over calcium-bearing till where drainage is impeded. The soils remain saturated due to groundwater seepage, and the setting ranges from slightly sloping to flat. The substrate pH is usually 6.5-7.5. Settings include calcium-influenced catchment basins, headwater areas, and grazed pastures. Unlike fens developing in more extensive basin peatlands, these have only shallow peat (almost always <1 m, often <15 cm deep). The vegetation is strongly dominated by the well-developed herb layer. Trees are essentially absent (at some sites occasional small Thuja occidentalis are present), and shrubs are sparse. Bryophytes are extensive, in many cases forming the substrate for the vascular plants. Cornus sericea is the most frequent shrub, although it is rarely abundant; other characteristic shrubs include Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Rhamnus alnifolia, and Salix candida. The more ubiquitous Alnus incana, Salix discolor, and Salix lucida may also occur. The dominant sedge cover is composed of a variety of species, usually some combination of Carex aquatilis, Carex aurea, Carex castanea, Carex flava, Carex interior, Carex hystericina, Carex lasiocarpa, Carex leptalea, Carex prairea, Carex sterilis, Eleocharis tenuis, Eriophorum virginicum, Eriophorum viridicarinatum, Rhynchospora alba, and Trichophorum alpinum. Muhlenbergia glomerata is a characteristic grass. Other associated herbs include Cypripedium reginae, Drosera rotundifolia, Geum rivale, Lobelia kalmii, Packera aurea (= Senecio aureus), Packera schweinitziana (= Senecio robbinsii), Parnassia glauca, Platanthera dilatata, Platanthera hyperborea, Platanthera psycodes, Solidago uliginosa, Thalictrum pubescens, and Thelypteris palustris. Bryophytes are mostly non-sphagnous, with Campylium stellatum the most characteristic, and usually abundant, species. Others include Aulacomnium palustre, Bryum pseudotriquetrum, Calliergon giganteum, Calliergon trifarium, Meesia triquetra, Paludella squarrosa, Philonotis fontana, Scorpidium scorpioides, Sphagnum warnstorfii, and Tomentypnum nitens. This associations may be distinguished from rich fens of more southern or western regions by the presence of sub-boreal species such as Trichophorum alpinum and the absence of species such as Morella pensylvanica (= Myrica pensylvanica), Juniperus virginiana, and Cornus racemosa.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.20138.CAREXINTERIORHY
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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Names:
Translated: (Inland Sedge, Porcupine Sedge, Yellow Sedge) - Alpine Cotton-grass / Star Campylium Moss Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
Common: Northern Sloping Fen
UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683904
NatureServe
Explorer
Code: CEGL006331
Scientific: Carex (interior, hystericina, flava) - Trichophorum alpinum / Campylium stellatum Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(undetermined)
Carex (interior, hystericina, flava) - Trichophorum alpinum / Campylium stellatum Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
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