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 <i>Thuja occidentalis</i> are present), and shrubs are sparse. Bryophytes are extensive, in many cases forming the substrate for the vascular plants. <i>Cornus sericea</i> is the most frequent shrub, although it is rarely abundant; other characteristic shrubs include <i>Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Rhamnus alnifolia</i>, and <i>Salix candida</i>. The more ubiquitous <i>Alnus incana, Salix discolor</i>, and <i>Salix lucida</i> may also occur. The dominant sedge cover is composed of a variety of species, usually some combination of <i>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</i>, and <i>Trichophorum alpinum</i>. <i>Muhlenbergia glomerata</i> is a characteristic grass. Other associated herbs include <i>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</i>, and <i>Thelypteris palustris</i>. Bryophytes are mostly non-sphagnous, with <i>Campylium stellatum</i> the most characteristic, and usually abundant, species. Others include <i>Aulacomnium palustre, Bryum pseudotriquetrum, Calliergon giganteum, Calliergon trifarium, Meesia triquetra, Paludella squarrosa, Philonotis fontana, Scorpidium scorpioides, Sphagnum warnstorfii</i>, and <i>Tomentypnum nitens</i>. This associations may be distinguished from rich fens of more southern or western regions by the presence of sub-boreal species such as <i>Trichophorum alpinum</i> and the absence of species such as <i>Morella pensylvanica (= Myrica pensylvanica), Juniperus virginiana</i>, and <i>Cornus racemosa</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.31379.CEGL006331
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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