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CEGL004331 Podostemum ceratophyllum Aquatic Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Hornleaf Riverweed Aquatic Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Rocky Bar & Shore (Riverweed Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community is wide-ranging, occurring in rivers throughout the eastern and southeastern United States. It represents essentially monospecific beds of Podostemum ceratophyllum, although some algae may also be present. This submersed vegetation forms a low mat or crust attached to rocks in moderately fast- to fast-flowing water. Typical habitat for this association in the Central Appalachians and related areas includes rocky surfaces of streambeds and riverbeds in mature drainage systems where the streams have cut down to rock and the floodplain is relatively narrow, or on dams. It tends to be associated with higher pH streams which cut through diabase, limestone or calcareous shales.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Podostemum could easily be the poster child of Piedmont rivers (B. Adams pers. comm.); it is unlikely that many aquatic plant species in the Piedmont have been hit harder. It is very sensitive to sedimentation and, accordingly, has declined greatly throughout its range and has been lost from nearly all areas it once occupied in some drainages such as the Upper Neuse Basin of North Carolina (Adams pers. comm.). This vegetation has been documented from the Sepulga River in the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama, the upper Duck River at Manchester (Old Stone Fort State Park) in the Interior Low Plateau of Tennessee, the Middle Oconee River, Georgia (Nelson and Scott 1962), the Eno River and formerly many sites in the Upper Neuse River Basin in the Piedmont of North Carolina (B. Adams pers. comm.), the Savannah River, and the Mechums and South Anna rivers in Virginia (Mulholland and Lenat 1992). It is apparently rare in Arkansas, found primarily in the Arkansas River and apparently in the Ouachita River (Smith 1988b). This type may also occur in the base-rich waters of the Shenandoah River and its two forks, the James River and portions of the Roanoke River (Fleming et al. 2001). In Georgia, this type appears to be restricted to the Piedmont and is apparently absent from the northwestern part of the state (Jones and Coile 1988).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This vegetation is almost always a monospecific community dominated by Podostemum ceratophyllum with no other vascular plants present; some Rhodophyta (red algae) may be present.
Dynamics: Podostemum appears to require relatively stable streamflow to accumulate significant biomass; at high nutrient levels filamentous green algae may outcompete it (Mulholland and Lenat 1992). Dense beds of this vegetation may serve as important substratum for a variety of invertebrates and other aquatic species (Nelson and Scott 1962). At least one rare species of snail of the Piedmont drainages, Somatogyrus virginicus, appears to be very closely tied to the occurrence of good beds of Podostemum (B. Adams pers. comm.). Although it is not clear whether the snail is actually dependent on Podostemum, it could be that Podostemum is just a good habitat indicator.
Environmental Description: This association includes vegetation of shoals in rocky streambeds and riverbeds in mature drainage systems where the streams have cut down to rock, and the floodplain is relatively narrow; or on dams in moderately fast- to fast-flowing water. It tends to be associated with higher pH streams which cut through diabase, limestone or calcareous shales. In the Piedmont region and possibly elsewhere, the occurrence of macrophytic vegetation may be limited by unstable sediments, moderate to high gradients, and large variations in stream flow (Mulholland and Lenat 1992). Podostemum is one of the few vascular plants present in Piedmont streams and rivers.
Geographic Range: This community is wide-ranging, occurring in rivers throughout the eastern and southeastern United States.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: AL, AR, CT, DE, GA, KY, LA?, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OK, PA, QC?, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685056
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G5
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 5 Aquatic Vegetation Class | C05 | 5 |
| Subclass | 5.B Freshwater Aquatic Vegetation Subclass | S13 | 5.B |
| Formation | 5.B.2 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Aquatic Vegetation Formation | F057 | 5.B.2 |
| Division | 5.B.2.Na North American Freshwater Aquatic Vegetation Division | D049 | 5.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 5.B.2.Na.1 Hornwort species - Pond-lily species - Pondweed species Eastern North American Freshwater Aquatic Vegetation Macrogroup | M108 | 5.B.2.Na.1 |
| Group | 5.B.2.Na.1.a American White Water-lily - Sago Pondweed - Pondweed species Freshwater Aquatic Vegetation Group | G114 | 5.B.2.Na.1.a |
| Alliance | A1752 Hornleaf Riverweed Aquatic Vegetation Alliance | A1752 | 5.B.2.Na.1.a |
| Association | CEGL004331 Hornleaf Riverweed Aquatic Vegetation | CEGL004331 | 5.B.2.Na.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Podostemum ceratophyllum Herbaceous Vegetation (Bowman 2000)
? Mountain river (Wharton 1978)
? River-weed shallow shore (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
= Riverweed (Podostemum ceratophyllum) permanently flooded vegetation (Metzler and Barrett 2006)
? Mountain river (Wharton 1978)
? River-weed shallow shore (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
= Riverweed (Podostemum ceratophyllum) permanently flooded vegetation (Metzler and Barrett 2006)
- Adams, Bill. Personal communication. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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- 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.
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- Smith, E. B. 1988b. An atlas and annotated list of the vascular plants of Arkansas, 2nd edition. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
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