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Salicornia (depressa, bigelovii, maritima) - Spartina alterniflora Salt Marsh | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Salicornia (depressa, bigelovii, maritima) - Spartina alterniflora Salt Marsh
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: This association represents tidally flooded hypersaline flats or very shallow depressions (pannes) dominated by succulents and other halophytic herbs, including <i>Salicornia depressa, Salicornia bigelovii, Salicornia maritima</i>, and stunted <i>Spartina alterniflora</i>, that occur in salt marshes of the Atlantic coast. Vegetation of this association tends to develop in shallow depressions within high or salt marshes where drainage is poor. The depressions are regularly to irregularly flooded by high tides, but as the water evaporates during low tide, the salinity concentration increases forming "salt pannes." Formation of the pannes may result from ice-scouring, rafting flotsam, peat compaction, mosquito ditch levees, or erosion of tidal creek banks, which create small, sparsely vegetated to unvegetated impoundments. Bare peat and/or mucky soils are prevalent (up to 85% bare soils). Total vegetative cover is variable in pannes, from near total absence of vascular plants to a dense cover of <i>Salicornia depressa, Salicornia bigelovii, Salicornia maritima</i>, or <i>Spartina alterniflora</i> (short form). Common associates include <i>Limonium carolinianum, Plantago maritima var. juncoides, Triglochin maritima, Spartina patens, Suaeda maritima</i>, and <i>Atriplex</i> spp. <i>Borrichia frutescens</i> can be an occasional component in Virginia. Algal mats are characteristically present, visible even in densely vegetated pannes. Blue-green algae are an important component of these mats, in some cases contributing significantly more biomass to the community than do vascular species. Diagnostic species include <i>Salicornia bigelovii</i> and <i>Salicornia depressa</i>. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33141-{8CB03F24-0F72-4607-9DDA-C71EEC4DE5AF}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 88
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 06-Sep-2013 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686149 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: CEGL004308
  Translated: (Virginia Glasswort, Dwarf Saltwort, Slender Grasswort) - Smooth Cordgrass Salt Marsh
  Common: Salt Panne (Salicornia Type)
  Scientific: Salicornia (depressa, bigelovii, maritima) - Spartina alterniflora Salt Marsh
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(similar) CEGL004308
(similar) Salicornia (virginica, bigelovii, maritima) - Spartina alterniflora Herbaceous Vegetation
(similar) Salicornia (virginica, bigelovii, maritima) - Spartina alterniflora Herbaceous Vegetation