Name:
Picea rubens Northern Appalachian Swamp Forest Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This alliance includes swamp forests of the Northern Appalachians and southern Canada dominated by <i>Picea rubens</i>, often admixed with <i>Abies balsamea, Acer rubrum</i>, and <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i>. These swamp forests are generally not "boggy" in nature, and lack significant peat, although deep muck may overlie mineral soil. The shrub layer is characterized by <i>Ilex mucronata, Vaccinium corymbosum, Ilex verticillata</i>, and <i>Sorbus americana</i>. The herbaceous layer is characterized by <i>Carex trisperma, Clintonia borealis, Gaultheria hispidula</i>, and others of northern climates. This alliance includes red spruce-fir- or fir-dominated swamps of northern and/or montane regions of the eastern United States and Canada. Canopy associates may include <i>Acer rubrum, Betula alleghaniensis, Tsuga canadensis</i>, and <i>Larix laricina</i>. Communities of this alliance are "swamps" as opposed to "bog forests" in that they lack significant <i>Sphagnum</i> peat accumulation. Soils are saturated mucks over generally acidic outwash materials and other mineral soils in the glaciated and unglaciated portions of the range. Although <i>Picea rubens</i> is the predominant spruce, <i>Picea mariana</i> or <i>Picea glauca</i> are occasionally dominant in the northern portion of the range. Typical understory species include <i>Vaccinium corymbosum, Ilex mucronata, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides</i>, and, in the southern portion of the range, <i>Rhododendron maximum</i> or <i>Hypericum densiflorum</i>. Ground flora includes <i>Carex trisperma, Coptis trifolia, Cornus canadensis, Maianthemum canadense, Osmunda cinnamomea, Oxalis montana</i>, and <i>Gaultheria hispidula</i>. Feathermosses are common and <i>Sphagnum</i> is patchy.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38705-{DD37FDCB-79A6-448D-9BAA-145C91159790}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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