Print Report

CEGL006225 Kalmia angustifolia - Chamaedaphne calyculata - (Picea mariana) / Cladonia spp. Acidic Peatland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sheep Laurel - Leatherleaf - (Black Spruce) / Cup Lichen species Acidic Peatland

Colloquial Name: Raised Dwarf-shrub Bog

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: These are the true ombrotrophic dwarf-shrub bogs of northern New England and Canada, occurring on the raised and relatively well-drained portions of raised peatlands. Peat accumulation has caused plant growth to be raised above the water table, and virtually all nutrients come from precipitation and deposition. The peat is typically saturated with water throughout the growing season, although standing water is often not apparent. Conditions are highly acidic, pH usually between 3.8-4.8. The classic vegetation pattern is drier hummocks and wet hollows across the peatland surface. Dwarf-shrubs dominate the vegetation, with overall heights usually 0.3-0.6 m. Trees are sparse and stunted; tall shrubs, if present, are usually confined to pockets near the peatland''s upland border. Herb cover is low, usually <25%. The bryoid layer is very well-developed and forms the substrate for the vascular plants. Kalmia angustifolia is a constant and usually dominant shrub; Gaylussacia baccata may be important in some peatlands. Other important dwarf-shrubs include Ledum groenlandicum, Rhododendron canadense, and Chamaedaphne calyculata. Kalmia polifolia, Vaccinium angustifolium, and Vaccinium oxycoccos are often present but less abundant. Scattered stunted trees of Picea mariana (or, less commonly, Larix laricina or Pinus strobus) may be present, and there are often circular islands of shrub-form Picea mariana that has reproduced by layering. Frequent herbs include Sarracenia purpurea, Drosera rotundifolia, Carex trisperma, and Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum. Calopogon tuberosus is a typical orchid. Sphagnum fuscum is the diagnostic and usually dominant moss; others include Sphagnum magellanicum and Sphagnum capillifolium. Polytrichum strictum is common on the hummocks. In the drier portions of the raised heath, fruticose lichens may be important, including Cladonia rangiferina, Cladonia arbuscula ssp. mitis, Cladonia crispata, Cladonia cristatella, Cladonia verticillata, Cladonia uncialis, and others. This association is distinguished from other dwarf-shrub bog associations by the raised bog setting, greater importance of Kalmia angustifolia compared to Chamaedaphne, and usual absence of maritime indicators such as Rubus chamaemorus and Gaylussacia dumosa.

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: Dwarf-shrubs dominate the vegetation, with overall heights usually 0.3-0.6 m. Trees are sparse and stunted; tall shrubs, if present, are usually confined to pockets near the peatland''s upland border. Herb cover is low, usually <25%. The bryoid layer is very well-developed and forms the substrate for the vascular plants. Kalmia angustifolia is a constant and usually dominant shrub; Gaylussacia baccata may be important in some peatlands. Other important dwarf-shrubs include Ledum groenlandicum, Rhododendron canadense, and Chamaedaphne calyculata. Kalmia polifolia, Vaccinium angustifolium, and Vaccinium oxycoccos are often present, but less abundant. Scattered stunted trees of Picea mariana (or, less commonly, Larix laricina or Pinus strobus) may be present, and there are often circular islands of shrub-form Picea mariana that has reproduced by layering. Frequent herbs include Sarracenia purpurea, Drosera rotundifolia, Carex trisperma, and Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum. Calopogon tuberosus (= Calopogon pulchellus) is a typical orchid. Sphagnum fuscum is the diagnostic and usually dominant moss; others include Sphagnum magellanicum and Sphagnum capillifolium. Polytrichum strictum is common on the hummocks. In the drier portions of the raised heath, fruticose lichens may be important, including Cladonia rangiferina (= Cladina rangiferina), Cladonia arbuscula ssp. mitis (= Cladina mitis), Cladonia crispata, Cladonia cristatella, Cladonia verticillata, Cladonia uncialis, and others.

Dynamics:  Intentional or unintentional fires occur occasionally in the central portions of raised bogs and can cause lichen cover to increase.
Environmental Description:  These are the true ombrotrophic dwarf-shrub bogs of northern New England and Canada, occurring on the raised and relatively well-drained portions of raised peatlands. Peat accumulation has caused plant growth to be raised above the water table, and virtually all nutrients come from precipitation and deposition. The peat is typically saturated with water throughout the growing season, although standing water is often not apparent. Conditions are highly acidic, pH usually between 3.8-4.8. The classic vegetation pattern is drier hummocks and wet hollows across the peatland surface.
Geographic Range: This dwarf-shrub bog from the Canadian maritimes across central and northern Maine and into Quebec; it is occasional in northern Vermont, New York, and (perhaps) New Hampshire.

Nations: CA,US

States/Provinces:  ME, NS, NY, QC?, VT


Confidence Level: Moderate

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G5

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.a Leatherleaf - Few-seed Sedge - Bog Laurel Boreal Bog & Acidic Fen Group G748 2.C.2.Na.1.a
Alliance A4399 Leatherleaf / Few-seed Sedge Bog Alliance A4399 2.C.2.Na.1.a
Association CEGL006225 Sheep Laurel - Leatherleaf - (Black Spruce) / Cup Lichen species Acidic Peatland CEGL006225 2.C.2.Na.1.a
Concept Lineage: CEGL006410 merged into this type. CEGL006005 was split into northern inland type (CEGL006410 which was subsequently merged into CEGL006225), and the other portion is subsumed conceptually within the southern New England bog type (CEGL006008).

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Sphagnum fuscum - Gaylussacia baccata dwarf shrub heath community (Damman and French 1987)
> Sphagnum fuscum - Kalmia dwarf shrub heath community (Damman and French 1987)
? Sheep laurel-leatherleaf shrub bog (NAP pers. comm. 1998)
> Type 13: Shrub heath (Chamaedaphne calyculata - Kalmia angustifolia - Rhododendron groenlandicum) (Engstrom 1998)
= Type 13: Shrub heath (Chamaedaphne calyculata-Kalmia angustifolia-Rhododendron groenlandicum) (Anderson and Davis 1998)
> Type 14: Shrub heath / wooded shrub heath (Picea mariana - Chamaedaphne calyculata - Kalmia angustifolia - Rhododendron groenlandicum / Picea mariana) (Engstrom 1998)
= Type 14: Shrub heath/wooded shrub heath (Picea mariana-Chamaedaphne calyculata-Kalmia angustifolia-Rhododendron groenlandicum/Picea mariana) (Anderson and Davis 1998)
Concept Author(s): S.C. Gawler

Author of Description: S.C. Gawler

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 01-28-03
  • Anderson, D. S., and R. B. Davis. 1997. The vegetation and its environment in Maine peatlands. Canadian Journal of Botany 75:1785-1805.
  • Anderson, D. S., and R. B. Davis. 1998. The flora and vegetation of Maine peatlands. Maine Agriculture and Forest Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 170. Orono, ME. 98 pp.
  • CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
  • Damman, A. W. H., and T. W. French. 1987. The ecology of peat bogs of the glaciated northeastern United States: A community profile. USDI Fish & Wildlife Service Biological Report 85(7.16). 100 pp.
  • Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
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  • Engstrom, B. 1998. Inventory and classification of natural communities along the Upper Saco River, New Hampshire. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory, Concord, NH. 26 pp. plus appendices.
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  • NAP [Northern Appalachian-Boreal Forest Working Group]. 1998. Northern Appalachian-Boreal Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.
  • Nichols, G. E. 1918. The vegetation of northern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences 22:249-467.
  • Northern Appalachian Ecology Working Group. 2000. Northern Appalachian / Boreal Ecoregion community classification (Review Draft). The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Conservation Science Center, Boston, MA. 117 pp. plus appendices.
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