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CEGL005163 Clay Seeps Sparse Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Clay Seeps Sparse Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Clay Seeps
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This type is found in the northern regions of the Great Lakes in the United States. Stands occur on toeslopes, where constant seepage creates saturated clay soils. Substrate is neither mucky not peaty. Stands are often shaded (up to 90% cover) by adjacent forest types, including Tsuga canadensis- and Acer saccharum-dominated stands. Trees rarely occur in the seepage zone itself, which can be as much as 30 m wide. Characteristic plants include Equisetum scirpoides (often dominant) and Impatiens pallida. Other species in northern Wisconsin include Cypripedium reginae, Cypripedium parviflorum, Equisetum arvense and, rarely, Parnassia palustris and Parnassia glauca. In southeastern Wisconsin, common species include Gentianopsis virgata, Oligoneuron ohioense, and Triantha glutinosa. Other fen plants may also occur. Epipactis helleborine is a common exotic orchid.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Description is based on input at Great Lakes Planning meeting workshop in Escanaba, Michigan (14-15 Dec 1998), and further review by Eric Epstein (pers. comm. 1999) from Wisconsin and Michigan. Stands occur on the Apostle Islands, the St. Louis River and tributaries in northwest Wisconsin, along Lake Michigan in Milwaukee County, and possibly in Door, Kewaunee, and Manitowoc counties. Unstable bluffs generally support a more "weedy" flora, resembling that of the surrounding forest.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands are often shaded (up to 90% cover) by adjacent forest types, including Tsuga canadensis and Acer saccharum dominated stands. Trees rarely occur in the seepage zone itself, which can be as much as 30 m wide. Characteristic plants include Equisetum scirpoides (often dominant) and Impatiens pallida. Other species in northern Wisconsin include Cypripedium reginae, Cypripedium parviflorum, Equisetum arvense, and, rarely, Parnassia palustris and Parnassia glauca. In southeastern Wisconsin, common species include Gentianopsis virgata (= Gentianopsis procera), Oligoneuron ohioense (= Solidago ohioensis) and Triantha glutinosa (= Tofieldia glutinosa). Other fen plants may also occur. Epipactis helleborine is a common exotic orchid (E. Epstein pers. comm. 1999).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands occur on toeslopes, where constant seepage creates saturated, semi-stable clay soil bluffs. Substrate is neither mucky nor peaty. Stands are often shaded (up to 90% cover) by adjacent forest types (E. Epstein pers. comm. 1999).
Geographic Range: This type is found in the northern regions of the Great Lakes in the United States, and is currently only reported from Wisconsin and Michigan.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MI?, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686112
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.c Tawny Cottongrass - Jewelweed species - Skunk-cabbage Seep Group | G189 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.c |
| Alliance | A4496 <i>Acer spicatum - Sambucus racemosa</i> / Green False Hellebore Seep Alliance | A4496 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.c |
| Association | CEGL005163 Clay Seeps Sparse Vegetation | CEGL005163 | 2.C.4.Nd.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Clay Seeps Sparse Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- Epstein, Eric. Personal communication. Community Ecologist, Wisconsin Natural Heritage Program, Madison, WI.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Hop, K., S. Menard, J. Drake, S. Lubinski, and J. Dieck. 2010a. National Park Service Vegetation Inventory Program: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin. Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR-2010/199. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 310 pp.
- Kost, M. A., D. A. Albert, J. G. Cohen, B. S. Slaughter, R. K. Schillo, C. R. Weber, and K. A. Chapman. 2007. Natural communities of Michigan: Classification and description. Report No. 2007-21, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing. 314 pp. [http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/reports/2007-21_Natural_Communites_of_Michigan_Classification_and_Description.pdf]
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- WDNR [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. PUB-SS-1131 2015. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison. [http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/Book.html]