Print Report
CEGL006418 Spartina alterniflora - Polygonum punctatum - Amaranthus cannabinus Salt Marsh
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Smooth Cordgrass - Dotted Smartweed - Tidal-marsh Amaranth Salt Marsh
Colloquial Name: Mesohaline Seepage Salt Marsh
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This oligohaline to mesohaline marsh of the Mid-Atlantic occurs in silty mud along meanders in tidal rivers and guts in the interiors of extensive marshes where there is significant freshwater input. The vegetation is diverse and variable but is characterized by the consistent presence of Spartina alterniflora, Bolboschoenus robustus, and Polygonum punctatum. Other associates include Amaranthus cannabinus, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, Peltandra virginica, Pluchea odorata, Bidens coronata, Kosteletzkya virginica, Eleocharis palustris, Asclepias incarnata, Schoenoplectus americanus, Ptilimnium capillaceum, and Echinochloa walteri. Spartina cynosuroides is a common associate in some areas of Maryland.
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 diverse and variable but is characterized by the consistent presence of Spartina alterniflora, Bolboschoenus robustus (= Scirpus robustus), and Polygonum punctatum. Other associates include Amaranthus cannabinus, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (= Scirpus tabernaemontani), Peltandra virginica, Pluchea odorata, Bidens coronata, Kosteletzkya virginica, Eleocharis palustris, Asclepias incarnata, Schoenoplectus americanus (= Scirpus americanus), Ptilimnium capillaceum, and Echinochloa walteri. Spartina cynosuroides is a common associate in some areas of Maryland. An unusually diverse example of this vegetation in Delaware occurs on Blackbird Creek and supports the additional species Eleocharis parvula, Cyperus filicinus, Sium suave, Typha latifolia, Hibiscus moscheutos, and Sagittaria latifolia.
Dynamics: This vegetation occurs in mesohaline waters on the mid-tidal position of large tidal rivers and tidal guts. It receives freshwater input from alluvial sources inland and may also receive seepage from adjacent uplands.
Environmental Description: This oligohaline to mesohaline marsh of the Mid-Atlantic occurs in silty mud along meanders in tidal rivers and guts in the interiors of extensive marshes where there is significant freshwater input.
Geographic Range: This vegetation occurs on the Coastal Plain of Maryland and Delaware.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: DE, MD, NJ
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686082
Confidence Level: Low
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.5 Salt Marsh Formation | F035 | 2.C.5 |
| Division | 2.C.5.Nb North American Atlantic & Gulf Coastal Salt Marsh Division | D034 | 2.C.5.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.5.Nb.1 North American Atlantic & Gulf Coastal Salt Marsh Macrogroup | M079 | 2.C.5.Nb.1 |
| Group | 2.C.5.Nb.1.d Southern Cattail - Bulrush species - Awl-leaf Arrowhead Tidal Salt Marsh Group | G120 | 2.C.5.Nb.1.d |
| Alliance | A4493 <i>Spartina alterniflora - Spartina cynosuroides - Carex paleacea</i> Brackish Tidal Marsh Alliance | A4493 | 2.C.5.Nb.1.d |
| Association | CEGL006418 Smooth Cordgrass - Dotted Smartweed - Tidal-marsh Amaranth Salt Marsh | CEGL006418 | 2.C.5.Nb.1.d |
Concept Lineage: This association includes the former Spartina alterniflora - Amaranthus cannabinus Herbaceous Vegetation (CEGL006147), now considered to be a depauperate variant of CEGL006418.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Spartina alterniflora Mesohaline Tidal Marsh (Walton et al. 2001)
> Bishop-weed - Mixed Species Brackish Marsh (Bowman 2000)
< Marsh Type II (Nicholson and Van Deusen 1954)
> Smooth Cordgrass - Water Hemp Tidal Marsh (Bowman 2000)
> Bishop-weed - Mixed Species Brackish Marsh (Bowman 2000)
< Marsh Type II (Nicholson and Van Deusen 1954)
> Smooth Cordgrass - Water Hemp Tidal Marsh (Bowman 2000)
- Bowman, P. 2000. Draft classification for Delaware. Unpublished draft. Delaware Natural Heritage Program, Smyrna, DE.
- Coulling, P. P. 2002. A preliminary classification of tidal marsh, shrub swamp, and hardwood swamp vegetation and assorted non-tidal, chiefly non-maritime, herbaceous wetland communities of the Virginia Coastal Plain. October 2002. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage. Natural Heritage Technical Report 02-18. 30 pp.
- Coxe, R. 2009. Guide to Delaware vegetation communities. Spring 2009 edition. State of Delaware, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Delaware Natural Heritage Program, Smyrna.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Harrison, J. W. 2011. The natural communities of Maryland: 2011 working list of ecological community groups and community types. Unpublished report. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service, Natural Heritage Program, Annapolis. 33 pp.
- Harrison, J. W., and P. Stango, III. 2003. Shrubland tidal wetland communities of Maryland''s Eastern Shore: Identification, assessment and monitoring. Maryland Natural Heritage Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis. 118 pp.
- Harrison, J. W., compiler. 2004. Classification of vegetation communities of Maryland: First iteration. A subset of the International Classification of Ecological Communities: Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States, NatureServe. Maryland Natural Heritage Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis. 243 pp.
- Nicholson, W. R., and R. D. Van Deusen. 1954. Marshes of Maryland. Maryland Game and Inland Fish Commission. Resource Study Report No. 6. Baltimore, MD.
- Walton, D. P., P. P. Coulling, J. Weber, A. Belden, Jr., and A. C. Chazal. 2001. A plant community classification and natural heritage inventory of the Pamunkey River floodplain. Unpublished report submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Natural Heritage Technical Report 01-19. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond. 200 pp. plus appendices.
- Walz, K., K. Anderson, L. Kelly, and D. Snyder. 2006a. New Jersey ecological community crosswalk. Unpublished report. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Natural Lands Management, Trenton.