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CEGL006367 Juniperus virginiana / Betula pumila / Carex sterilis - Oligoneuron rigidum Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern Red-cedar / Bog Birch / Dioecious Sedge - Stiff Goldenrod Fen
Colloquial Name: Kittatinny Valley Prairie Fen
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This extraordinarily rich fen community, known locally as "prairie fen," is restricted to one known occurrence in New Jersey, with a potential for up to four additional sites. It is found on gently sloping seepage areas with minerotrophic and alkaline groundwater flowing through shallow marly peat on glacial deposits over calcareous bedrock (Franklin Marble and Allentown Dolomite). Hydrologically the fen is very wet in winter and spring but droughty during the summer and autumn as local aquifer water levels drop in the small-scale karst landscape. The vegetation is characterized by a matrix of shrub thickets with graminoid-dominated openings. Juniperus virginiana, a typically upland species, occurs as large, mature, spreading individuals widely scattered in the shrub thickets and herbaceous openings. An associated tree species is Acer rubrum. Characteristic shrub species include Betula pumila var. pumila, Cornus amomum, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Rhamnus alnifolia, Salix x bebbii, Salix petiolaris, Toxicodendron vernix, and Viburnum opulus var. americanum. The herbaceous layer is a diverse mix of graminoids and forbs.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation is characterized by a matrix of shrub thickets with graminoid-dominated openings. Juniperus virginiana, a typically upland species, occurs as large, mature, spreading individuals widely scattered in the shrub thickets and herbaceous openings. An associated tree species is Acer rubrum. Characteristic shrub species include Betula pumila var. pumila, Cornus amomum, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Rhamnus alnifolia, Salix x bebbii, Salix petiolaris, Toxicodendron vernix, and Viburnum opulus var. americanum. Characteristic shrub species include Betula pumila var. pumila, Cornus amomum, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Rhamnus alnifolia, Salix x bebbii, Salix petiolaris, Toxicodendron vernix, and Viburnum opulus var. americanum. Characteristic graminoid species include Bromus kalmii, Carex buxbaumii, Carex flava, Carex hystericina, Carex leptalea, Carex sterilis, Carex stricta, Carex tetanica, Juncus brachycephalus, Luzula multiflora, Muhlenbergia glomerata, and Scirpus lineatus. Characteristic fen forbs include Castilleja coccinea, Geum rivale, Liatris spicata, Lobelia kalmii, Parnassia glauca, Sarracenia purpurea, Solidago patula, Solidago uliginosa, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Sanguisorba canadensis, Packera aurea (= Senecio aureus), and Trollius laxus ssp. laxus. Other wetland species include Chamaelirium luteum, Cirsium muticum, Clematis virginiana, Equisetum arvense, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Iris versicolor, Lysimachia ciliata, Symplocarpus foetidus, Viola cucullata, as well as Osmunda regalis and Thelypteris palustris. Bryophytes include Calliergon giganteum and Thuidium delicatulum. In addition, upland species Andropogon gerardii, Geranium maculatum, Hypoxis hirsuta, Oligoneuron rigidum (= Solidago rigida var. rigida), Porteranthus trifoliatus, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sisyrinchium montanum, Maianthemum stellatum (= Smilacina stellata), Smilax tamnoides (= Smilax hispida), Sorghastrum nutans, Symphyotrichum laeve (= Aster laevis), Thalictrum revolutum, and Veronicastrum virginicum are scattered among the more typical fen species.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: It is found on gently sloping seepage areas with minerotrophic and alkaline groundwater flowing through shallow marly peat on glacial deposits over calcareous bedrock (Franklin Marble and Allentown Dolomite). Hydrologically the fen is very wet in winter and spring but droughty during the summer and autumn as local aquifer water levels drop in the small-scale karst landscape.
Geographic Range: Currently this association is described from New Jersey.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NJ
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685318
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.2 Temperate to Polar Bog & Fen Formation | F016 | 2.C.2 |
| Division | 2.C.2.Na North American Bog & Fen Division | D029 | 2.C.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.2.Na.1 Leatherleaf - Small Cranberry - Few-seed Sedge Bog & Acidic Fen Macrogroup | M876 | 2.C.2.Na.1 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.1.e Chamaedaphne - Dwarf Huckleberry / Walter''s Sedge Bog & Fen Group | G1171 | 2.C.2.Na.1.e |
| Alliance | A3406 <i>Cladium mariscoides - Rhynchospora alba</i> Fen Alliance | A3406 | 2.C.2.Na.1.e |
| Association | CEGL006367 Eastern Red-cedar / Bog Birch / Dioecious Sedge - Stiff Goldenrod Fen | CEGL006367 | 2.C.2.Na.1.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- Breden, T. F. 1989. A preliminary natural community classification for New Jersey. Pages 157-191 in: E. F. Karlin, editor. New Jersey''s rare and endangered plants and animals. Institute for Environmental Studies, Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ. 280 pp.
- Breden, T. F., Y. R. Alger, K. S. Walz, and A. G. Windisch. 2001. Classification of vegetation communities of New Jersey: Second iteration. Association for Biodiversity Information and New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Office of Natural Lands Management, Division of Parks and Forestry, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Trenton.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.