Name:
Morella cerifera / Spartina patens Wet Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association occurs in wetland flats, backdunes and interdune swales along the Atlantic coast from southern New Jersey to Florida. The substrate may be sand or loamy sand, sometimes with a thin layer of organic matter. It occurs beyond the reach of most storm tides but may be impacted by salt spray. The water table may often be less than half a meter below the surface, and may be dry at the end of the growing season. Canopy closure varies from densely closed to moderately open. This vegetation is dominated by <i>Morella cerifera</i>, sometimes intermixed with <i>Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola</i> (from North Carolina and possibly southern Virginia southward), <i>Morella pensylvanica</i> (from northern North Carolina northward), <i>Rhus copallinum, Baccharis halimifolia</i>, or <i>Ilex vomitoria</i>. The shrub layer can vary from 2-8 m in height. Occasionally, a sparse emergent canopy of trees (such as <i>Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola</i> or <i>Sabal palmetto</i> in the southern parts of the range) may be present. The herbaceous layer is characterized by <i>Spartina patens</i>. Other ground flora associates include <i>Toxicodendron radicans, Eupatorium capillifolium, Eupatorium hyssopifolium var. hyssopifolium, Panicum virgatum, Andropogon virginicus, Juncus dichotomus, Solidago sempervirens, Smilax</i> spp., <i>Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Vitis</i> spp., and <i>Schoenoplectus pungens</i>. Small openings may have wetland graminoids, such as <i>Juncus roemerianus, Spartina patens, Fimbristylis castanea, Andropogon glomeratus var. pumilus, Muhlenbergia filipes</i>, etc., and forbs, such as <i>Hydrocotyle bonariensis, Sabatia stellaris, Polygonum hydropiperoides, Eleocharis</i> spp., etc. In other cases, few herbs are present, because of the dense, thicket-like shrub layer.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:32699-{C49DB975-F628-412A-8872-C0FC404849C5}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
71
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