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Chamaedaphne calyculata / Carex oligosperma / Sphagnum spp. Poor Fen Dwarf-shrubland | Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
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Name: Chamaedaphne calyculata / Carex oligosperma / Sphagnum spp. Poor Fen Dwarf-shrubland
Reference: Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description: This dwarf-shrub poor fen community is found in the northern Great Lakes region and across much of central Canada. Sites are found on peatlands with low exposure to mineral-rich groundwater, including basin fens, shores above the level of seasonal flooding, and margins of larger peatlands. Stands have a saturated hydrology with a fibric <i>Sphagnum</i> spp. peat soil and a pH usually <4.5. Vegetation is dominated by an open dwarf-shrub/scrub conifer layer with very scattered trees (<10% cover). Microtopography is high to intermediate hummocks with hollows or a flat lawn of <i>Sphagnum</i> spp. Ericaceous dwarf-shrubs are dominant, including <i>Chamaedaphne calyculata, Kalmia polifolia</i>, and <i>Ledum groenlandicum</i>, and the creeping dwarf-shrubs <i>Andromeda polifolia</i> and <i>Vaccinium oxycoccos</i>. <i>Betula pumila</i> has low cover but is fairly constant. Scrub conifers include <i>Larix laricina</i> and <i>Picea mariana</i>. They also occur as scattered trees (>3 m). The herb layer is species-poor, containing <i>Carex oligosperma, Carex limosa, Equisetum fluviatile, Menyanthes trifoliata, Sarracenia purpurea</i>, and <i>Scheuchzeria palustris</i>. The moss layer forms a continuous hummocky mat dominated by <i>Sphagnum angustifolium, Sphagnum fuscum</i>, and <i>Sphagnum magellanicum</i>. Diagnostic features include the dominance of a dwarf-shrub ericaceous layer, absence of a tree layer (<10%), species-poor herbaceous layer, and a low abundance of minerotrophic indicators, such as <i>Betula pumila, Carex aquatilis</i> and <i>Carex stricta</i>. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.37023.CEGL005277
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 17-Nov-2014 to: 01-May-2019
     
  • status: accepted
  • This Community's Level: association
  • This Community's Children: [none]
Names:   Translated: Leatherleaf / Few-seed Sedge / Peatmoss species Poor Fen Dwarf-shrubland
  Scientific: Chamaedaphne calyculata / Carex oligosperma / Sphagnum spp. Poor Fen Dwarf-shrubland
  Code: CEGL005277
  Common: Leatherleaf Poor Fen
  UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689513 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo