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CEGL001225 Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Wet Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Diamondleaf Willow / Bluejoint Wet Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This riparian shrubland association occurs in the upper montane-subalpine zone in the southern Rocky Mountains, Uinta Mountains and Big Horn Mountains of north-central Wyoming, northeastern Utah, and Colorado. This high-elevation wetland plant association usually occurs in broad, glacial valleys at elevations of 2430-3500 m (7960-11,475 feet) where direct snowmelt is the primary moisture source throughout the growing season. Salix planifolia forms a moderately dense to dense shrub layer with 40-90% cover. Other willow species that may be present include Salix brachycarpa and Salix wolfii. Calamagrostis canadensis dominates the dense and sometimes species-rich herbaceous layer. Several Carex spp. can also be present, including Carex utriculata, Carex microptera, and Carex aquatilis. The forb layer can be diverse but generally has <10% total cover. Forb species can include Caltha leptosepala, Cardamine cordifolia, Pedicularis groenlandica, and Mertensia ciliata.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association has been described from the Rocky Mountain states of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. A similar Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis - Carex canescens - Mertensia ciliata association has been described from high-elevation sites in the Uinta Mountains of Utah.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This riparian association which is characterized by a moderately dense to dense shrub layer (40-90% cover) that is dominated by Salix planifolia with a lush herbaceous layer dominated by the perennial grass Calamagrostis canadensis. Other willow species that may be present to codominant include Salix brachycarpa, Salix geyeriana, and Salix wolfii. Other shrubs that may be present in lower concentrations include Betula nana, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Gaultheria humifusa, Lonicera involucrata, Ribes montigenum, Rosa woodsii, Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus, Salix boothii, Salix drummondiana, Salix monticola (lower elevations), Vaccinium cespitosum, and Vaccinium myrtillus. The dense Calamagrostis canadensis-dominated and sometimes species-rich herbaceous layer frequently has several Carex species and grasses present such as Carex aquatilis, Carex illota, Carex microptera, Carex utriculata, Deschampsia cespitosa, Phleum alpinum, Poa alpina, and Trisetum wolfii (Padgett et al. 1989, Kittel et al. 1997b, Carsey et al. 2003a, 2003b,). The forb layer can be diverse but generally has low (<10%) total cover. Associated forb species can include Aconitum columbianum, Caltha leptosepala, Cardamine cordifolia, Conioselinum scopulorum, Equisetum arvense, Geum macrophyllum, Pedicularis groenlandica, Ligusticum tenuifolium, Mertensia ciliata, Rhodiola rhodantha, Senecio triangularis, Swertia perennis, and Thalictrum spp.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This riparian shrubland association occurs in upper montane-subalpine zones in the southern Rocky Mountains, Uinta Mountains and Big Horn Mountains. This high-elevation wetland plant association usually occurs along streams in narrow to broad, sometimes glacial valleys and swales at elevations of 2430-3500 m (7960-11,475 feet) where direct snowmelt is the primary moisture source throughout much of the growing season. Water table depth is variable but is generally close to the surface during most of the growing season. Sites are flat to gently sloping. Stream channels are often wide and moderately sinuous, frequently associated with beaver ponds (Rosgen''s Channel Type: B3), but they can be narrow and highly sinuous (Rosgen''s Channel Type: E4) when occurring in narrow valleys and wet floodplains (Rosgen 1996). Substrates range from well-drained to very poorly drained and include peat or mineral soils with high organic content (mucky clay loams, sandy clay loams to loamy sand), derived from alluvium or frequently glacial till (Padgett et al. 1989, Kittel et al. 1997b, Carsey et al. 2003a, 2003b). Parent material is often granitic.
Geographic Range: This shrubland association occurs in the subalpine zone in the southern Rocky Mountains, Uinta Mountains and Bighorn Mountains from southwestern Colorado to northeastern Utah and north-central Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, MT, UT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685567
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4
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.Nb Western North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D031 | 2.C.4.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nb.5 Sitka Alder - Booth''s Willow / Northwest Territory Sedge Montane Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M893 | 2.C.4.Nb.5 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d Willow species - Alder species - Water Birch Riparian & Seep Shrubland Group | G527 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
| Alliance | A3770 Wolf''s Willow - Short-fruit Willow - Resin Birch Wet Shrubland Alliance | A3770 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
| Association | CEGL001225 Diamondleaf Willow / Bluejoint Wet Shrubland | CEGL001225 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
Concept Lineage: included here
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Salix planifolia - Calamagrostis canadensis - Mertensia ciliata Association (Cooper 1990)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Association (Cooper and Cottrell 1990)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Community Type (Padgett et al. 1989)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003b)
>< Salix planifolia / Carex aquatilis Association (Baker 1989b) [Includes some stands with herbaceous layer dominated by Calamagrostis canadensis.]
= Salix planifolia var. planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Ecological Type (Girard et al. 1997)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Association (Cooper and Cottrell 1990)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Community Type (Padgett et al. 1989)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
= Salix planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003b)
>< Salix planifolia / Carex aquatilis Association (Baker 1989b) [Includes some stands with herbaceous layer dominated by Calamagrostis canadensis.]
= Salix planifolia var. planifolia / Calamagrostis canadensis Ecological Type (Girard et al. 1997)
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