Name:
Calamagrostis canadensis Western Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This wet grassland association occurs widely throughout mountainous areas of the western United States and Canada. These grasslands are a relatively small, meadow association that occur in broad glaciated valleys, openings in moist forests, silted-in beaver ponds, and narrow floodplains of lower montane canyons. Elevations range from 670-3000 m (2200-9800 feet). Parent material is generally coarse alluvium or fine glacial tills. Soils are Inceptisols, Entisols, and occasionally Mollisols. Textures range from clay loam, silty clay and silt loam to sand. Occurrences may have an organic layer on the surface as well as significant amounts of sand and rock in the lower layers, and are poorly to moderately well-drained. Stands generally stay relatively wet to moist throughout the growing season, are often flooded in the spring, and the water table drops 50-80 cm from the surface by late summer. This association is typically a dense sward of graminoid cover dominated by Calamagrostis canadensis. Other graminoid species usually present include Carex aquatilis and Glyceria spp. Other Carex spp. that can be present in low amounts, depending on geographic location, include Carex utriculata, Carex nebrascensis, Carex canescens and Carex saxatilis. Forb cover is variable, from nearly absent to over 25%. Species include Caltha leptosepala, Senecio triangularis, Heracleum maximum, Mentha arvensis, Geum macrophyllum, Epilobium spp., plus many other species, depending on location. Shrubs may be present with 1-5% cover and may include Alnus incana, Symphoricarpos spp., and Salix spp. Trees are rare but can include 1-3% cover of Pinus contorta, Abies lasiocarpa, and Picea engelmannii.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.24658.CALAMAGROSTISCA
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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