Name:
Deschampsia cespitosa Wet Meadow
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This herbaceous vegetation is dominated by a circumboreal species which is common in alpine wet meadows and wetland margin habitats. Stands are found in moist, low-gradient valley bottoms and along streams throughout the mountainous areas of the western U.S. at elevations ranging from 800 to 3550 m (2625-11,650 feet). Typically, these communities occur in areas of abundant snowfall where snowmelt saturates soils from late spring through early summer. In the alpine tundra, this association is commonly found in snowmelt basins and around the edges of alpine wetlands. At lower elevations, the communities are typically wetlands, requiring wet or moist soils throughout most of the growing season. Soils are variable. Fine-textured soils retain soil moisture longer in areas of seasonal drought, and coarse substrates allow aeration in areas with perennial high water tables. This vegetation is characterized by a moderately dense to dense herbaceous layer dominated by the perennial bunchgrass <i>Deschampsia cespitosa</i>. Commonly associated graminoid species include <i>Agrostis scabra, Carex aquatilis, Carex nebrascensis, Carex microptera, Carex utriculata, Carex vesicaria, Danthonia intermedia, Elymus trachycaulus, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis, Juncus alpinoarticulatus, Phleum alpinum, Poa</i> spp., <i>Trisetum spicatum</i>, and <i>Trisetum wolfii</i>. Common forbs include <i>Geum rossii, Ligusticum tenuifolium, Polygonum bistortoides, Ranunculus flammula</i>, and low cover of <i>Caltha leptosepala</i>. Diagnostic of this herbaceous association is the dominance or codominance of <i>Deschampsia cespitosa</i> and the presence of surface water for extended periods during the growing season.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30508-{5553B630-DA06-4221-86C8-DA26F5BA659A}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
17
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