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CEGL002404 (Carex interior, Carex lurida) - Carex leptalea - Parnassia grandifolia - Rhynchospora capillacea Seepage Fen

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Inland Sedge, Shallow Sedge) - Bristly-stalked Sedge - Largeleaf Grass-of-Parnassus - Needle Beaksedge Seepage Fen

Colloquial Name: Ozark Seepage Fen

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This fen community type is found in the Ozarks region of the United States. Stands occur on the sideslopes of hills in narrow valleys, bases of bluffs, rock ledges, and terraces, where the soil or substrate is saturated by calcareous groundwater seepage. Soils are mucky peat or mineral, with pH above 6.5, and very shallow (0-40 cm), depending on natural disturbance and slope. The parent material is a mixture of gravel and dolomite with fragments of deeply weathered bedrock present. The bedrock strata are exposed, especially in hanging fens where the slope is greater than 35°. Hydrophytic plants dominate this mixed grass or sedge fen that is a complex of zoned vegetation. Type 1) saturated areas dominated by tussock sedges such as Carex interior and Carex lurida; Type 2) deep muck saturated areas, dominated by those sedges and by Carex hystericina, Carex suberecta, and the shrub Alnus serrulata; Type 3) marly ooze areas dominated by Carex leptalea, Rhynchospora capillacea, and Scleria verticillata; Type 4) drier areas or margins dominated by Andropogon gerardii, Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa, and Parnassia grandifolia. Characteristic species include Menyanthes trifoliata and Pogonia ophioglossoides. Other species present in most examples include Carex hystericina, Castilleja coccinea, Fuirena simplex, Helenium autumnale, Lobelia siphilitica, Schoenoplectus americanus, Scirpus atrovirens, Scirpus pendulus, Selaginella apoda, Packera aurea, and Oligoneuron rigidum var. rigidum. Deep muck fens may also contain Thelypteris palustris var. pubescens, Lysimachia quadriflora, Selaginella eclipes, Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa, Carex granularis, Oxypolis rigidior, Physocarpus opulifolius, Pedicularis lanceolata, Cardamine bulbosa, and Viola cucullata.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This community type is based largely on work by S. Orzell and others (1983, 1984, 1985). Although numerous sites of this community remain, many are threatened by overgrazing. This community may suffer permanent loss of water because of local hydrologic changes. In Arkansas, occurrences are 0.5- to 1-acre areas along streams with exposed cliffline and seepage (P. Hyatt pers. comm.). The composition of Arkansas occurrences may vary sufficiently from this description to warrant another association. Carex interior is very restricted in Arkansas.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: Hydrophytic plants dominate this community. It is a mixed-grass or sedge fen that is composed of different types of vegetation. Type 1) saturated areas dominated by tussock sedges such as Carex interior and Carex lurida; Type 2) deep muck saturated areas, dominated by those sedges and by Carex hystericina, Carex suberecta, and the shrub Alnus serrulata; Type 3) marly ooze areas dominated by Carex leptalea, Rhynchospora capillacea, and Scleria verticillata; Type 4) drier areas or margins dominated by Andropogon gerardii, Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa, and Parnassia grandifolia. Characteristic species include Menyanthes trifoliata and Pogonia ophioglossoides. Other species present in most examples include Carex hystericina, Castilleja coccinea, Fuirena simplex, Helenium autumnale, Lobelia siphilitica, Schoenoplectus americanus (= Scirpus americanus), Scirpus atrovirens, Scirpus pendulus, Selaginella apoda, Packera aurea (= Senecio aureus), and Oligoneuron rigidum var. rigidum (= Solidago rigida ssp. rigida). Deep muck fens may also contain Thelypteris palustris var. pubescens, Lysimachia quadriflora, Selaginella eclipes, Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa, Carex granularis, Oxypolis rigidior, Physocarpus opulifolius, Pedicularis lanceolata, Cardamine bulbosa, and Viola cucullata (Nelson 1985, T. Nigh pers. comm. 1996).

Dynamics:  The fluctuations in saturation, leading to dry periods, may stress some fen species (Nelson 1985).
Environmental Description:  This community occurs on the sideslopes or toeslopes of hills in narrow valleys, bases of bluffs, rock ledges, and terraces. It occurs on all aspects and on a slope of 5-45°. The soil or substrate is saturated by groundwater seepage. The soil conditions are the result of the underlying substrate and vegetation. In this fen community, the soil moisture gradient ranges from moist to wet with seasonal fluctuations. The groundwater is calcareous. The soil is mucky peat or mineral, with pH above 6.5, and varies from very shallow (0-40 cm) to deep (>100 cm), depending on natural disturbance and slope. The parent material is a mixture of gravel and dolomite with fragments of deeply weathered bedrock present. The bedrock strata are exposed in more shallow soil examples, especially in hanging fens where the slope is greater than 35°, they or may be undetectable in deeper muck examples (Nelson 1985).
Geographic Range: This fen community type is found in the Ozarks region of the United States, particularly in the central part of southern Missouri and Arkansas.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AR, MO


Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3

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.b Inland Sedge - Shallow Sedge - Largeleaf Grass-of-Parnassus Seepage Fen Group G182 2.C.4.Nd.1.b
Alliance A3390 Shallow Sedge - Inland Sedge - Largeleaf Grass-of-Parnassus Southern Interior Seepage Fen Alliance A3390 2.C.4.Nd.1.b
Association CEGL002404 (Inland Sedge, Shallow Sedge) - Bristly-stalked Sedge - Largeleaf Grass-of-Parnassus - Needle Beaksedge Seepage Fen CEGL002404 2.C.4.Nd.1.b
Concept Lineage: Deep muck fens and fens are now considered synonymous

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = (Carex interior, Carex lurida) - Carex leptalea - Parnassia grandifolia - Rhynchospora capillacea Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
> Deep Muck Fen (Nelson 1985)
>< Fen (Nelson 1985)
< IIE1b. Calcareous Fen Complex (Allard 1990)
= P5B2cI1a. Parnassia grandifolia-Carex lurida (Foti et al. 1994)
> Sedge-Shrub Fen (Orzell et al. 1985)
> Streamside Seep-Fen (Orzell et al. 1985)
Concept Author(s): P.W. Nelson (1985)

Author of Description: P. Nelson, J. Drake, D. Faber-Langendoen, and D. Ambrose

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 03-21-00
  • 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.
  • Chastain, R. A., M.A. Struckhoff, K. W. Grabner, E. D. Stroh, H. He, D. R. Larsen, T. A. Nigh, and J. Drake. 2006. Mapping vegetation communities in Ozark National Scenic Riverways: Final technical report to the National Park Service. Open-File Report 2006-1354. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. 90 pp. plus appendices.
  • Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
  • Foti, T., M. Blaney, X. Li, and K. G. Smith. 1994. A classification system for the natural vegetation of Arkansas. Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science 48:50-53.
  • Hop, K., M. Pyne, T. Foti, S. Lubinski, R. White, and J. Dieck. 2012a. National Park Service vegetation inventory program: Buffalo National River, Arkansas. Natural Resource Report NPS/HTLN/NRR--2012/526. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 340 pp.
  • Hyatt, P. Personal communication. Forest Botanist, Ozark, St. Francis National Forests, Arkansas.
  • MNHP [Missouri Natural Heritage Program]. 2000. Missouri Natural Heritage GIS Database. Missouri Natural Heritage Program, Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City. (last accessed 2000).
  • Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Nelson, P. 2010. The terrestrial natural communities of Missouri. Revised edition. Missouri Natural Areas Committee, Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Conservation, Jefferson City.
  • Nelson, P. W. 1985. The terrestrial natural communities of Missouri. Missouri Natural Areas Committee, Jefferson City. 197 pp. Revised edition, 1987.
  • Nigh, T., C. Buck, J. Grabner, J. Kabrick, and D Meinert. 2000. An ecological classification system for the Current River Hills subsection. Missouri Ecological Classification System and Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership. 44 pp.
  • Nigh, Tim A. Personal communication. Ecologist, Missouri Conservation Commission, Jefferson City.
  • Orzell, S. L. 1983. Natural area inventory and floristic analysis of fens in selected southeastern Missouri counties. M.S. thesis, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 203 pp.
  • Orzell, S. L. 1984. Natural area inventory and floristic analysis of fens in selected southeastern Missouri counties: Part II. Missouriensis 5:109-117.
  • Orzell, S., B. Pell, and G. Tucker. 1985. Notes on three palustrine natural community types in the Arkansas Ozarks. Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings 39:141-143.