Name:
Spiraea alba Shrubland
Reference:
Description:
This successional shrub swamp occurs on temporarily to semipermanently flooded soils in the Allegheny Mountains region of West Virginia, at elevations between 900 and 1130 m. It is a small-patch type that occupies flat to gently sloping floodplains (0-0.5° slopes) with occasional discontinuous fingers extending up tributary streams with slopes as steep as 7°. It occurs on recovering beaver meadows and along low-gradient headwater streams that were logged, grazed, or burned within the last 80 years. Entrenched meandering stream channels and overflow channels bisect the community. This type persists on the landscape as a result of beaver activity and (to a lesser extent) natural flood regimes. It is probably more widespread now than in the past when forests covered much of its current habitat. Where natural succession is unhindered, some stands will likely recover to forested swamps of high conservation value. Soil texture is variable and may consist of moderately to poorly drained silt loam, sandy loam, clay, or shallow peat, underlain by alluvial deposits, including woody debris. Mean soil pH is 4.2, and mean pore water pH is 6.2. The unvegetated surface is predominantly litter, with an average of 8% standing water and 10% bare soil. The community is characterized by a dense tall-shrub layer strongly dominated by <i>Spiraea alba</i> with occasional presence of <i>Salix sericea, Viburnum recognitum, Ilex verticillata, Hypericum densiflorum, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides</i>, and <i>Alnus incana ssp. rugosa</i>. The short-shrub layer is sparse or absent. The herbaceous layer is typically concentrated in small openings. It is variable in composition but often includes <i>Juncus effusus, Carex scoparia var. scoparia, Galium tinctorium, Dichanthelium clandestinum, Carex gynandra, Impatiens capensis, Hypericum mutilum, Hypericum ellipticum, Lycopus uniflorus var. uniflorus, Calamagrostis canadensis var. canadensis, Rubus hispidus</i>, and <i>Glyceria striata</i>. Nonvascular plants are present in trace amounts, usually including <i>Sphagnum</i> spp. Mean species richness of all vascular plants and any nonvascular plants with cover >1% is 26 taxa per 400 square meters for seven plots in West Virginia.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.37500.CEGL006595
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
7
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