Name:
Juniperus virginiana / Betula pumila / Carex sterilis - Oligoneuron rigidum Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This extraordinarily rich fen community, known locally as "prairie fen," is restricted to one known occurrence in New Jersey, with a potential for up to four additional sites. It is found on gently sloping seepage areas with minerotrophic and alkaline groundwater flowing through shallow marly peat on glacial deposits over calcareous bedrock (Franklin Marble and Allentown Dolomite). Hydrologically the fen is very wet in winter and spring but droughty during the summer and autumn as local aquifer water levels drop in the small-scale karst landscape. The vegetation is characterized by a matrix of shrub thickets with graminoid-dominated openings. <i>Juniperus virginiana</i>, a typically upland species, occurs as large, mature, spreading individuals widely scattered in the shrub thickets and herbaceous openings. An associated tree species is <i>Acer rubrum</i>. Characteristic shrub species include <i>Betula pumila var. pumila, Cornus amomum, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Rhamnus alnifolia, Salix x bebbii, Salix petiolaris, Toxicodendron vernix</i>, and <i>Viburnum opulus var. americanum</i>. Characteristic graminoid species include <i>Bromus kalmii, Carex buxbaumii, Carex flava, Carex hystericina, Carex leptalea, Carex sterilis, Carex stricta, Carex tetanica, Juncus brachycephalus, Luzula multiflora, Muhlenbergia glomerata</i>, and <i>Scirpus lineatus</i>. Characteristic fen forbs include <i>Castilleja coccinea, Geum rivale, Liatris spicata, Lobelia kalmii, Parnassia glauca, Sarracenia purpurea, Solidago patula, Solidago uliginosa, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Sanguisorba canadensis, Packera aurea (= Senecio aureus)</i>, and <i>Trollius laxus ssp. laxus</i>. Other wetland species include <i>Chamaelirium luteum, Cirsium muticum, Clematis virginiana, Equisetum arvense, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Iris versicolor, Lysimachia ciliata, Symplocarpus foetidus, Viola cucullata</i>, as well as <i>Osmunda regalis</i> and <i>Thelypteris palustris</i>. Bryophytes include <i>Calliergon giganteum</i> and <i>Thuidium delicatulum</i>. In addition, upland species <i>Andropogon gerardii, Geranium maculatum, Hypoxis hirsuta, Oligoneuron rigidum (= Solidago rigida var. rigida), Porteranthus trifoliatus, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sisyrinchium montanum, Maianthemum stellatum (= Smilacina stellata), Smilax tamnoides (= Smilax hispida), Sorghastrum nutans, Symphyotrichum laeve (= Aster laevis), Thalictrum revolutum</i>, and <i>Veronicastrum virginicum</i> are scattered among the more typical fen species.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.31371.CEGL006367
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
