Name:
NY Heritage: Red maple-tamarack peat swamp
Reference:
Ecological Communities of New York, 2nd Ed.
Description:
A mixed swamp that occurs on organic soils (peat or muck) in poorly drained depressions. These swamps are often spring fed or enriched by seepage of minerotrophic groundwater resulting in a stable water table and continually saturated soil. Soils are often rich in calcium.
The dominant trees are red maple (Acer rubrum) and tamarack (Larix laricina). These species usually form an open canopy (50 to 70% cover) with numerous small openings dominated by shrubs or sedges. Other less frequently occurring trees include black spruce (Picea mariana), white pine (Pinus strobus), black ash (Fraxinus nigra), American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), and northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis).
Characteristic shrubs are alders (Alnus incana ssp. rugosa, A. serrulata), winterberry (Ilex verticillata), various shrubby dogwoods especially red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), willows (Salix spp.), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens), along with many rich shrub fen species such as swamp birch (Betula pumila), alder-leaf buckthorn (Rhamnus alnifolia), poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), swamp fly honeysuckle (Lonicera oblongifolia), and shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa). Other less frequently occurring shrubs include black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) and mountain holly (Nemopanthus mucronatus).
The herb layer is often very diverse and usually includes calcium rich indicator species. Characteristic herbs are sedges such as Carex trisperma, C. interior, C. stricta, C. lacustris, and C. leptalea. and ferns such as royal fern (Osmunda regalis), cinnamon fern (O. cinnamomea), marsh fern (Thelypteris palustris), and crested wood fern (Dryopteris cristata), along with skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), and water horehound (Lycopus uniflorus). Other less frequently occurring herbs include cattail (Typha latifolia), goldthread (Coptis trifolia), flat-topped aster (Aster umbellatus), fowl manna grass (Glyceria striata), water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile), buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), starflower (Trientalis borealis), goldenrods (Solidago patula, S. uliginosa), golden ragwort (Senecio aureus), marsh cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris).
The bryophyte layer is dominated by several species of Sphagnum moss, including S. magellanicum, S. angustifolium, and S. subtile.
Data on characteristic animals are needed. These swamps are closely related to and often grade into rich shrub fens and rich graminoid fens.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.28907.NYHERITAGEREDMA
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
1
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