Print Report
CEGL004158 Carex atlantica - Solidago patula var. patula - Lilium grayi / Sphagnum bartlettianum Herbaceous Seep
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Prickly Bog Sedge - Roundleaf Goldenrod - Gray''s Lily / Bartlett''s Peatmoss Herbaceous Seep
Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian Herb Bog (Typic Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community is an open, graminoid-dominated wetland with significant cover of Sphagnum spp. It has a strong component of species of northern phytogeography occurring in combination with species endemic to the southern Appalachians, and in association with felsic gneisses or schists and acidic, nutrient-poor seepage. The dwarf-shrub (less than 0.5 m), Vaccinium macrocarpon, may be scattered throughout or be locally dominant. Typical dominants are Carex echinata, Solidago patula var. patula, Carex leptalea, Carex atlantica, Rhynchospora capitellata, Scirpus atrovirens, Osmunda cinnamomea, Lysimachia terrestris, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Eriophorum virginicum, and Polytrichum commune. Other characteristic species are Arethusa bulbosa, Aulacomnium palustre, Bazzania trilobata, Calopogon tuberosus, Carex folliculata, Carex gynandra, Carex trisperma, Chelone cuthbertii, Juncus effusus, Juncus subcaudatus, Lilium grayi, Veratrum virginicum, Orontium aquaticum, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Oxypolis rigidior, Parnassia asarifolia, Platanthera grandiflora, Poa paludigena, Rhizomnium appalachianum, Sagittaria latifolia, Scirpus cyperinus, Scirpus expansus, Scirpus polyphyllus, Packera aurea, Sphagnum bartlettianum, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum affine, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum recurvum, Spiraea alba, Spiraea tomentosa, Stenanthium gramineum var. robustum, Thelypteris palustris var. pubescens, Thelypteris simulata (rarely), and Rhizomnium appalachianum. This community can occur on flat areas, in portions of valley bottoms that are not subject to flooding, but maintained hydrologically by rainwater and a high water table, or in the upper portions of stream watersheds, on slight slopes, hydrologically maintained by very nutrient-poor to fairly nutrient-rich seepage.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This community may dominate a site or occur as a complex with ~Alnus serrulata - Kalmia carolina - Rhododendron catawbiense / Carex folliculata - Lilium grayi Seepage Shrubland (CEGL003915)$$. It is typically surrounded by forests dominated by Picea rubens, Fagus grandifolia, Betula alleghaniensis, Quercus rubra, Tsuga canadensis, and Liriodendron tulipifera with dense Rhododendron maximum understories. Few sites remain, probably less than 500 acres in total, and all are degraded from hydrological modification or are threatened by grazing, agricultural runoff, and construction activities. Similar open, herbaceous bogs are at Grayson Highlands, Virginia. The definition of this association may need to be modified to cover these Virginia occurrences.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is an open, graminoid-dominated wetland with significant cover of Sphagnum spp. The dwarf-shrub (<0.5 m) Vaccinium macrocarpon may be scattered throughout or be locally dominant. Typical dominants are Carex echinata, Solidago patula var. patula, Carex leptalea, Carex atlantica, Rhynchospora capitellata, Scirpus atrovirens, Osmunda cinnamomea, Lysimachia terrestris, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Eriophorum virginicum, and Polytrichum commune. Other species may include Carex folliculata, Carex gynandra, Scirpus expansus, Scirpus cyperinus, Scirpus polyphyllus, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Packera aurea (= Senecio aureus), Thelypteris palustris var. pubescens, Juncus effusus, Juncus subcaudatus, Lilium grayi, Oxypolis rigidior, Parnassia asarifolia, Sagittaria latifolia (= var. pubescens), and Orontium aquaticum. Sphagnum species include Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum affine, Sphagnum bartlettianum, Sphagnum recurvum, and, rarely, northern disjuncts such as Sphagnum fallax. Other important bryophytes include Rhizomnium appalachianum, Aulacomnium palustre, and Bazzania trilobata. Eriophorum virginicum and Vaccinium macrocarpon, distributed primarily in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, are found at or near the southern limit of their distribution in this community. Thelypteris simulata occurs disjunct from the northern Coastal Plain. Lilium grayi, Rhododendron catawbiense, Juncus gymnocarpus, and Chelone cuthbertii are endemic to the Southern Blue Ridge or have the bulk of their worldwide range in that region.
Dynamics: Reduction of Sphagnum cover, due to siltation, trampling, or nutrient input, promotes succession by woody species. Little is known about the successional dynamics of mountain wetlands. One known occurrence of this community, dating from 10,000 years B.P., is showing signs of woody secession, suggesting that recent changes may be responsible for promoting vegetative succession to woody species (Weakley and Schafale 1994).
Environmental Description: This community occurs in a variety of sites. Some are on flat areas, in portions of valley bottoms that are not subject to flooding. These sites receive little seepage and are presumably largely maintained hydrologically by rainwater and high water table. This community also occurs in the upper portions of stream watersheds, on slight to moderate slopes, hydrologically maintained by very nutrient-poor to fairly nutrient-rich seepage. Soils are organic or organic-rich mineral soils, presumably very acidic to slightly acidic.
Geographic Range: In western North Carolina, possibly in eastern Tennessee, and in southwestern Virginia, on felsic metamorphic rocks in the Southern Blue Ridge.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, TN?, VA?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683900
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D323 | 2.C.4.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nd.1 Shrubby-cinquefoil - Canadian Burnet / Inland Sedge Seep Macrogroup | M061 | 2.C.4.Nd.1 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a Catawba Rosebay / Tawny Cottongrass / Peatmoss species Shrub & Herb Seep Group | G184 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
| Alliance | A3381 Prickly Bog Sedge - Roundleaf Goldenrod - Kidneyleaf Grass-of-Parnassus Seep Alliance | A3381 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
| Association | CEGL004158 Prickly Bog Sedge - Roundleaf Goldenrod - Gray''s Lily / Bartlett''s Peatmoss Herbaceous Seep | CEGL004158 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Acidic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
> High Elevation Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< IIE1b. Southern Appalachian Bog Complex (Allard 1990)
>< Low Elevation Bog (Wichmann 2009)
? Low Elevation Herbaceous Bog (Wichmann et al. 2007)
>< Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< Southern Appalachian Bog, Typic Variant (Weakley and Schafale 1994)
> High Elevation Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< IIE1b. Southern Appalachian Bog Complex (Allard 1990)
>< Low Elevation Bog (Wichmann 2009)
? Low Elevation Herbaceous Bog (Wichmann et al. 2007)
>< Mosaic Bog (Wichmann 2009)
< Southern Appalachian Bog, Typic Variant (Weakley and Schafale 1994)
- Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.
- Anderson, L. E. 1990a. A checklist of Sphagnum in North America north of Mexico. The Bryologist 93:500-501.
- Burt, W. H., and R. P. Grossenheider. 1980. A field guide to the mammals: Field marks of all North America species found north of Mexico. Third edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series No. 5. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 289 pp. plus color plates.
- Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: Eastern and central North America. Third edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series No. 12. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York. 450 pp. plus color plates.
- Kartesz, J. T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC.
- Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. No date. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Weakley, A. S., and M. P. Schafale. 1994. Non-alluvial wetlands of the Southern Blue Ridge: Diversity in a threatened ecosystem. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 77:359-383.
- Weakley, A. S., compiler. 1993. Natural Heritage Program list of the rare plant species of North Carolina. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program. Raleigh. 79 pp.
- Wichmann, B. 2009. Vegetation of geographically isolated montane non-alluvial wetlands of the Southern Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Masters thesis, North Carolina State, Raleigh. [http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-05152009-120239/unrestricted/etd.pdf]
- Wichmann, B., R. K. Peet, and T. R. Wentworth. 2007. Natural vegetation of the Carolinas: Classification and description of montane non-alluvial wetlands of the Southern Appalachian region. A report prepared for the Ecosystem Enhancement Program, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources in partial fulfillments of contract D07042. Carolina Vegetation Survey, Curriculum in Ecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.