Name:
Carex alligata - Carex echinata - Racomitrium lanuginosum Hawaiian Bog Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
Hawaiian bogs are characterized by an uneven hummocky matrix of sedges and grasses often dominated by <i>Oreobolus furcatus</i> and <i>Rhynchospora rugosa ssp. lavarum</i>. Other characteristic species include the moss <i>Racomitrium lanuginosum</i>, sedges <i>Carex alligata, Carex echinata, Carex montis-eeka</i>, and <i>Carex thunbergii</i>, grasses <i>Deschampsia nubigena, Dichanthelium cynodon, Dichanthelium hillebrandianum</i>, and <i>Dichanthelium isachnoides</i>, and frequently stunted woody plants, including <i>Metrosideros polymorpha, Coprosma ochracea</i>, and <i>Dubautia</i> spp. Dwarfed or stunted woody plants can occur as scattered individuals, in clumps, or as a continuous layer. Associated ferns and herbs include <i>Dicranopteris linearis, Polypodium</i> spp., <i>Sadleria</i> spp., and, less commonly, <i>Astelia</i> spp., <i>Athyrium</i> spp., <i>Elaphoglossum</i> spp., <i>Hymenophyllum</i> spp., <i>Machaerina</i> spp., <i>Lysimachia</i> spp., <i>Plantago</i> spp., <i>Schizaea robusta, Selaginella deflexa, Viola</i> spp., and on Kaua`i <i>Drosera anglica</i>. Hawaiian bogs occur primarily in montane zones as isolated small patches on flat or gently sloping topography in high rainfall areas in cloud forests and other wet forests on all of the high islands between 1067 and 1670 m (3500-5500 feet) elevation. These bogs also occur in the subalpine zone at 2270 m (7446 feet) elevation on Maui, and as a low-elevation bog at 646 m (2120 feet) on Kaua`i. Soils remain saturated on a shallow to deep layer of peat (0.01-5 m), underlain by an impervious basal clay layer that impedes drainage. A few sloping bogs occur on steeper terrain were precipitation is extremely high, such as in North Bog in the Wai`ale`ale summit region of Kaua`i, where soils remain saturated despite adequate drainage. Two bogs are believed to have formed in former small lakes, one along the Wailuku River, Hawai`i (Treeless bog), the other the subalpine bog on East Maui (Flat Top bog). The low-elevation bog on Kaua`i occurs on shallow, poorly drained acidic peat.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40153-{F9B4B8B3-ED5A-4E39-ADD0-B6CA2319B5EA}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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