Name:
Vaccinium uliginosum - Diapensia lapponica - Carex bigelowii Alpine Tundra Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This dwarf-shrub-, herb-, or lichen-dominated vegetation occurs above treeline on northeastern mountains of North America, where wind, snow, and cloud-cover fog limit plant growth. Sites encompass the ancient and weathered summits and plateaus of the Canadian Shield and the northern Appalachian Mountains. Most of the cover is dwarf-shrubland or lichen-dominated; islands of taller shrubs or small graminoid meadows may occur in protected spots. The dominant plants are ericads: <i>Vaccinium uliginosum</i> is diagnostic and often dominant, and <i>Vaccinium vitis-idaea</i> is often common. Other alpine-restricted heaths such as <i>Phyllodoce caerulea, Rhododendron lapponicum, Arctostaphylos alpina</i>, and <i>Loiseleuria procumbens</i> are present, with composition generally varying by microsite characteristics. Other low shrubs include dwarf birches, alders and willows, such as <i>Betula minor, Betula glandulosa, Alnus viridis, Salix uva-ursi</i>, and <i>Salix argyrocarpa</i>. <i>Diapensia lapponica</i> is a characteristic cushion-plant, especially in highly exposed flats. <i>Carex bigelowii</i> is a characteristic and locally dominant sedge, <i>Agrostis mertensii</i> and <i>Anthoxanthum monticola ssp. alpinum</i> are characteristic grasses, and <i>Juncus trifidus</i> is a dominant rush. Forbs are comparatively scarce (except in snowbank settings), with characteristic species including <i>Solidago cutleri, Minuartia groenlandica, Prenanthes boottii</i>, and in a few locations, <i>Geum peckii</i> and <i>Potentilla robbinsiana</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:39819-{15BB6918-9060-499C-B690-0BADE6BE1D4B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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