Name:
Dasiphora fruticosa / Rhynchospora capillacea - Carex flava Alkaline Shrub Fen Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This alliance is found in the northeastern United States and in southern Ontario, Canada. Stands are a variable combination of low shrubs and herbs on minerotrophically rich mucks, often called marl fens. The shrub layer is low (0.5-1 m) and varies from scattered to dense cover over a dense herbaceous layer. Patterning within large fens may occur, leading to recognizable zones, such as sedge flats, which occur around the spring discharge; fen meadows, which occur in the adjacent saturated zone as a variable combination of shrubs and herbs; and tall-shrub fens, which occur on more elevated portions or edges of the fen. The central marl fen is described here. The most consistent shrub dominant is <i>Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda</i>, but other shrubs include <i>Cornus amomum, Physocarpus opulifolius, Rosa palustris, Salix discolor</i>, and <i>Toxicodendron vernix</i>. Typical herbaceous associates include a variety of sedges that vary across the range of the alliance, including <i>Carex flava, Carex interior, Carex lasiocarpa, Carex sterilis</i>, and <i>Carex stricta</i>. Northern species such as <i>Alnus serrulata, Drosera rotundifolia</i>, and <i>Aronia melanocarpa</i> may be present. Dominance by <i>Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda</i> may be because of low fire probability, which historically may have occurred in fire-protected areas, e.g., where poorly vegetated areas with spring runs served as natural firebreaks. Soils are saturated mucks, neutral to alkaline, marly, and with excessive water-retaining capacity.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38249-{C8B39278-88CD-4E52-A68D-6E561EE12016}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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