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CEGL004115 Phragmites australis ssp. berlandieri Riverbank Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: This apparently natural vegetation is dominated by Phragmites australis ssp. berlandieri and occupies sandy levees and banks along the Rio Grande / Río Bravo of Texas and Mexico, as well as in southern California.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Subtropical Common Reed Riverbank Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: Carrizal de Río Bravo
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community is common along the Rio Grande / Río Bravo of Texas and Mexico, occupying sandy levees and banks. In contrast to most Phragmites communities in the southeastern United States, this is apparently a natural community, dominated by Phragmites australis ssp. berlandieri. Similar giant grass communities dominated by the exotic Arundo donax often occur in close proximity. It also occurs in southern California.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The Phragmites found along the Rio Grande / Río Bravo is most likely Phragmites australis ssp. berlandieri, a taxon which is apparently conspecific with Phragmites karka, which is also found in Australia and islands in the Pacific Ocean (Swearingen and Saltonstall 2012).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands are dominated by Phragmites australis ssp. berlandieri. This "Gulf Coast type" of Phragmites is thought to be the result of hybridization between an African species, Phragmites mauritianus, and Phragmites australis (Lambertini et al. 2012), and its presence in the southeastern United States may be due to an early introduction from Africa.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community occupies linear riparian areas, including sandy levees and banks, along the Rio Grande / Río Bravo of Texas and Mexico.
Geographic Range: This community is common along the Rio Grande / Río Bravo of Texas and Mexico. It is also found in southern California.
Nations: MX,US
States/Provinces: CA, MXCHH, MXCOA, MXNLE, MXTAM, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684708
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.Nc Southwestern North American Warm Desert Freshwater Marsh & Bosque Division | D032 | 2.C.4.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nc.1 Warm Desert Lowland Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M076 | 2.C.4.Nc.1 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nc.1.b Honey Mesquite - Velvet Mesquite - False Willow species North American Warm Desert Riparian Low Bosque & Shrubland Group | G533 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.b |
| Alliance | A0947 Narrowleaf Willow Warm Desert Wet Shrubland Alliance | A0947 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.b |
| Association | CEGL004115 Subtropical Common Reed Riverbank Wet Meadow | CEGL004115 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Reed Grass (Plumb 1988)
- Calflora. 2016. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization], Berkeley, CA. [http://www.calflora.org/] (accessed: November 18, 2016).
- Lambertini, C., I. Mendelsshon, M. G. H. Gustafsson, B. Olesen, T. Riis, B. K. Sorrell, and H. Brix. 2012. Tracing the origin of Gulf Coast Phragmites (Poaceae): A story of long distance dispersal and hybridization. American Journal of Botany 99:538-551.
- Plumb, G. A. 1988. An algorithmic approach to automated vegetation mapping of Big Bend National Park, Texas. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Kansas, Lawrence. 449 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Swearingen, J., and K. Saltonstall. 2010. Phragmites field guide: Distinguishing native and exotic forms of common reed (Phragmites australis) in the United States. Plant Conservation Alliance, Weeds Gone Wild. [http://www.nps.gov/plants / alien/pubs/index.htm]
- Swearingen, J., and K. Saltonstall. 2012. Phragmites field guide: Distinguishing native and exotic forms of common reed (Phragmites australis) in the United States. TN Plant Materials No. 56. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Boise, ID. 23 pp. [http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/idpmctn11494.pdf]