Name:
Morella cerifera - Rosa palustris Tidal Freshwater Shrubland Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This alliance includes tidally flooded shrublands of the middle Atlantic Coastal Plain, occurring in association with freshwater tidal marshes and tidally flooded forests. <i>Morella cerifera</i> is the characteristic dominant species, with <i>Rosa palustris</i> and <i>Toxicodendron radicans ssp. radicans</i> as characteristic and constant companion species. Other woody species include <i>Persea palustris, Magnolia virginiana, Salix caroliniana, Vaccinium formosum, Smilax walteri, Smilax walteri</i>, and saplings of <i>Acer rubrum, Pinus taeda, Taxodium distichum</i>, and <i>Liquidambar styraciflua</i>. Herbaceous composition is diverse and varied, with many species recruited from adjacent marshes and swamps. <i>Thelypteris palustris var. pubescens</i> is highly characteristic and appears to reach its nodal distribution in this landscape in this community. Other important species can include <i>Juncus roemerianus, Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense</i>, and <i>Decodon verticillatus</i>. <i>Murdannia keisak</i> is an aggressive alien weed in these communities. Farther south, in the South Atlantic Coastal Plain, this alliance occurs on flats adjacent to tidal reaches of rivers. Examples receive seepage from adjacent uplands, maintaining a saturated condition, and also may receive tidal inundation in very rare storm tide events. Scattered trees of <i>Pinus taeda</i> and <i>Sabal palmetto</i> may be present. <i>Morella cerifera</i> and <i>Toxicodendron radicans ssp. radicans</i> dominate the dense shrub stratum, and <i>Baccharis angustifolia</i> can be a major component. <i>Spartina bakeri</i> is the dominant herb; other herbs include <i>Juncus roemerianus, Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense, Cynanchum angustifolium</i>, and <i>Ipomoea sagittata</i>. Occurrences can exceed 50 acres in size. This latter, more southerly example of this alliance is placed here for now; the hydrology is ambiguous.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38107-{D89DD88F-FFE4-445B-8ADA-6075AAAAEE4C}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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