Name:
Spartina pectinata - Typha spp. - Schoenoplectus spp. Great Plains Marsh, Wet Meadow, Shrubland & Playa Macrogroup
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This herbaceous- or shrub-dominated wetland is found throughout the Great Plains. Sites can be dominated by emergent wetland-obligate species or by herbaceous or shrub species tolerant of seasonal flooding in riparian and non-riparian settings. Abundant species vary widely in this wide-ranging and environmentally diverse macrogroup. Common species in wetter sites include <i>Sagittaria</i> spp. <i>Schoenoplectus</i> spp., <i>Sparganium</i> spp., and <i>Typha</i> spp. In wet meadows and wet prairies, <i>Calamagrostis canadensis, Calamagrostis stricta, Carex</i> spp. (including <i>Carex atherodes, Carex pellita, Carex nebrascensis</i>), <i>Eleocharis palustris, Glyceria</i> spp., <i>Juncus</i> spp., <i>Lycopus americanus, Panicum virgatum, Spartina pectinata</i>, and <i>Triglochin maritima</i> are common. <i>Pascopyrum smithii</i> often occurs on the drier edges of stands in the western parts of its range and in temporarily flooded basins in the southern Great Plains along with <i>Panicum obtusum</i> and <i>Bouteloua dactyloides</i>. In more saline areas, common species can include <i>Carex sartwellii, Carex praegracilis, Hordeum jubatum, Plantago eriopoda</i>, and <i>Schoenoplectus pungens</i>. Shrubs are less common range-wide but dominate some sites. Typical species are <i>Amorpha fruticosa, Artemisia cana ssp. cana</i> and <i>Artemisia tridentata</i> (in the northwest portion of the range), <i>Cornus drummondii, Cornus sericea, Prunus virginiana, Salix</i> spp. (especially <i>Salix interior</i>), <i>Symphoricarpos occidentalis</i>, and the exotic <i>Elaeagnus angustifolia</i>. Seedlings of riparian trees, especially <i>Populus deltoides</i>, can be found in some stands. This macrogroup occurs in basins and along rivers and streams throughout the semi-arid to dry-temperate Great Plains. The hydrologic regime varies from sites flooded for only a few weeks each growing season to those flooded for years at a time. The water source for these sites can be snowmelt (either local or from the Rocky Mountains), rain, or groundwater. Sites with limited watersheds and little or no groundwater connection tend to be wet for short periods of time, while those with larger watersheds or more reliable water sources can be saturated or flooded for most or all of the growing season. Water varies from fresh to moderately saline. Many sites are on fine-textured, poorly drained soils either on the surface or forming an impermeable subsurface layer that prevents rapid water drainage. Some sites have coarse, often alluvial soils. Soils are nearly always mineral, but muck can accumulate on some sites, and this macrogroup includes fens where marl or peat can form.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40486-{8C2788B7-4E66-4184-9868-7C19DD4937F6}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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