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CEGL008438 Glyceria striata - Carex gynandra - Chelone glabra - Symphyotrichum puniceum / Sphagnum spp. Herbaceous Seep

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Fowl Mannagrass - Nodding Sedge - White Turtlehead - Purple-stem Aster / Peatmoss species Herbaceous Seep

Colloquial Name: Southern Appalachian Wet Seepage Meadow

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This acidic seep occurs as small-scale patches along streams in the Southern Appalachians. Occurrences are nearly always less than 0.4 hectare (1 acre) in size. Hydrology is seepage-fed, and these sites may also receive short-term flooding from adjacent streams. Characteristic species include Glyceria striata, Glyceria melicaria, Osmunda cinnamomea, Carex gynandra, Symphyotrichum puniceum, Solidago patula var. patula, Chelone glabra, and Sphagnum recurvum. Most occurrences are herbaceous-dominated, though scattered shrubs and trees may occur, and trees rooted outside the community sometimes provide substantial shade.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: These communities are sometimes regarded as "poorly-developed bogs." This type needs additional study and reconciliation against communities in North Carolina currently treated as forests ("Swamp Forest - Bog Complexes"). Three plots from North Carolina and Georgia (APPA.545, APPA.652, and CVS plot 020-03-0351) in the Appalachian Trail study (Fleming and Patterson 2009a) were classified as this association. While the composition of these samples varies, Carex gynandra, Chelone glabra, and Oxypolis rigidior are 100% constant and have 2-25% coverage in the samples. Other species that have high diagnostic value are Carex ruthii, Juncus gymnocarpus, Parnassia asarifolia, Scirpus polyphyllus, and Solidago patula var. patula.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: The physiognomic structure of this community type is variable. Most occurrences are herbaceous-dominated, though scattered shrubs and trees may occur, and trees rooted outside the community sometimes provide substantial shade. The most characteristic species include Glyceria striata, Glyceria melicaria, Osmunda cinnamomea, Carex gynandra, Symphyotrichum puniceum (= Aster puniceus), Solidago patula var. patula, Chelone glabra, and Sphagnum recurvum. Other species reported from some occurrences include Betula lenta, Liriodendron tulipifera, Pinus strobus, Acer rubrum, Kalmia latifolia, Lyonia ligustrina var. ligustrina, Vaccinium fuscatum, Oxypolis rigidior, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Salix nigra, Salix sericea, and Laportea canadensis.

Dynamics:  These communities appear to be relatively stable. They can be affected by beaver activity.
Environmental Description:  This acidic seep occurs as small-scale patches along streams in the Southern Appalachians. Occurrences are nearly always less than 0.4 hectare (1 acre) in size. Hydrology is seepage-fed, and these sites may also receive short-term flooding from adjacent streams.
Geographic Range: This community was defined from the western fringe of the Southern Blue Ridge in northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina, but likely extends into adjacent areas of Alabama, Kentucky, and South Carolina.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AL?, GA, NC, SC, TN


Confidence Level: Moderate

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3

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.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division D323 2.C.4.Nd
Macrogroup 2.C.4.Nd.1 Shrubby-cinquefoil - Canadian Burnet / Inland Sedge Seep Macrogroup M061 2.C.4.Nd.1
Group 2.C.4.Nd.1.a Catawba Rosebay / Tawny Cottongrass / Peatmoss species Shrub & Herb Seep Group G184 2.C.4.Nd.1.a
Alliance A3382 Nodding Sedge - Melic Mannagrass - Fowl Mannagrass Seep Alliance A3382 2.C.4.Nd.1.a
Association CEGL008438 Fowl Mannagrass - Nodding Sedge - White Turtlehead - Purple-stem Aster / Peatmoss species Herbaceous Seep CEGL008438 2.C.4.Nd.1.a
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Glyceria striata - Carex gynandra - Chelone glabra - Symphyotrichum puniceum / Sphagnum spp. Herbaceous Vegetation (Fleming and Patterson 2009a)
< Low Elevation Saturated Forest (Wichmann 2009)
Concept Author(s): B. Wichmann (2009)

Author of Description: A.S. Weakley

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 06-29-01
  • Fleming, G. P., and K. D. Patterson. 2009a. A vegetation classification for the Appalachian Trail: Virginia south to Georgia. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage. In-house analysis, March 2009.
  • GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
  • NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
  • Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.
  • Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
  • 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.
  • Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
  • Wichmann, B. 2009. Vegetation of geographically isolated montane non-alluvial wetlands of the Southern Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Masters thesis, North Carolina State, Raleigh. [http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-05152009-120239/unrestricted/etd.pdf]