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CEGL007771 Carex gynandra - Scirpus cyperinus - Eriophorum virginicum - Osmunda cinnamomea Herbaceous Seep
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Nodding Sedge - Woolgrass - Tawny Cottongrass - Cinnamon Fern Herbaceous Seep
Colloquial Name: Nodding Sedge Seepage Bog
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association consists of patches of saturated vegetation located in areas of flat to very gently sloping topography (0-2°) located near streams in the Allegheny and Cumberland mountains. This community occurs along streams, in flats away from the immediate streambed, along wetland margins, and in seepage-fed oxbow fens, at elevations of 610 to 1220 m (2000-4000 feet). It is primarily an herbaceous community, but some examples may exhibit a shrub zone. The primary herbaceous species are Carex gynandra, Carex atlantica, Juncus effusus, Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Doellingeria umbellata, Polygonum sagittatum, Eriophorum virginicum, Lygodium palmatum, Platanthera clavellata, Platanthera flava var. flava, Lycopus virginicus, Oxypolis rigidior, Chelone glabra, Carex lurida, Glyceria melicaria, Scirpus cyperinus, Carex leptalea ssp. harperi, Solidago rugosa, Galium tinctorium, Solidago uliginosa, Carex scoparia var. scoparia, Dryopteris cristata, Impatiens capensis, Carex stipata, Hypericum mutilum, and Glyceria laxa. Sphagnum spp. are common and include Sphagnum palustre. Shrubs can occur as scattered clumps or zones and include Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Hypericum densiflorum, Salix sericea, Ilex opaca, Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendron maximum, and Aronia arbutifolia.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Eight plots represent this type in West Virginia, where it was classified as part of a 2004-2006 study of wetlands in the Allegheny Mountains (Byers et al. 2007). Examples occur at Martins Fork (Harlan County, Kentucky) and Falling Water Gap, Virginia. The relationship and distinctiveness of this type relative to other associations in this alliance need additional consideration. This type apparently lacks many species characteristic of bogs of the Southern Blue Ridge and has some species rarely encountered in Blue Ridge bogs. Vegetation seen at an abandoned millpond in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (Tennessee) may fit this concept (M. Pyne pers. comm.).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The primary herbaceous species in this association are Carex gynandra, Carex atlantica, Juncus effusus, Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Doellingeria umbellata (= Aster umbellatus), Polygonum sagittatum, Eriophorum virginicum, Lygodium palmatum, Platanthera clavellata, Platanthera flava var. flava, Lycopus virginicus, Oxypolis rigidior, Chelone glabra, Carex lurida, Glyceria melicaria, Scirpus cyperinus, Carex leptalea ssp. harperi, Solidago rugosa, Galium tinctorium, Solidago uliginosa, Carex scoparia var. scoparia, Dryopteris cristata, Impatiens capensis, Carex stipata, Hypericum mutilum, and Glyceria laxa. Sphagnum spp. are common and include Sphagnum palustre. Shrubs can occur as scattered clumps or zones and include Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Hypericum densiflorum, Salix sericea, Ilex opaca, Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendron maximum, and Aronia arbutifolia. This type apparently lacks many species characteristic of bogs of the Southern Blue Ridge and has some species rarely encountered in Blue Ridge bogs. The community is susceptible to invasion by Typha latifolia, which attains dominance in some stands in West Virginia. Mean species richness of all vascular plants and any nonvascular plants with cover >1% is 30 taxa per 400 m2 for eight plots in West Virginia (Byers et al. 2007).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This herbaceous seepage fen occurs in the Allegheny and Cumberland mountains, at elevations of 610 to 1220 m (2000-4000 feet). In the Alleghenies, the community is found on very gently sloping (1-2°) margins of larger open wetlands in flat headwater basins, either on toeslopes, alluvial fans, or as fingers of enriched seepage extending into the wetland mosaic. It also occurs as a spring-fed seepage fen in old oxbows along low-gradient meandering streams. In the Cumberlands, the community occurs along streams, in flats away from the immediate streambed.
Geographic Range: This community type is restricted to the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia and the Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky, Virginia, and possibly Tennessee, at elevations of 610-1220 m.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: KY, TN?, VA, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686297
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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 | CEGL007771 Nodding Sedge - Woolgrass - Tawny Cottongrass - Cinnamon Fern Herbaceous Seep | CEGL007771 | 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: = Carex gynandra - Carex atlantica / Sphagnum spp. Seep (Byers et al. 2007)
= Cumberland Mountains alluvial open acid bog (Yahn pers. comm.)
= Cumberland Mountains alluvial open acid bog (Yahn pers. comm.)
- Byers, E. A., J. P. Vanderhorst, and B. P. Streets. 2007. Classification and conservation assessment of high elevation wetland communities in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Elkins.
- Evans, M., B. Yahn, and M. Hines. 2009. Natural communities of Kentucky 2009. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfort, KY. 22 pp.
- Fleming, G. P., K. D. Patterson, and K. Taverna. 2017. The natural communities of Virginia: A classification of ecological community groups and community types. Third approximation. Version 3.0. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. [http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-communities/]
- Pyne, Milo. Personal communication. Southeast Regional Ecologist. NatureServe, Southeast Regional Office, Durham, NC.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- WVNHP [West Virginia Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, Elkins.
- Walbridge, M. R. 1982. Vegetation patterning and community distribution in four high-elevation headwater wetlands in West Virginia. M.S. thesis, West Virginia University, Morgantown.
- White, R. D., Jr. 2006. Vascular plant inventory and ecological community classification for Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 246 pp.
- Yahn, Brian. Personal communication. Ecologist, Kentucky State Nature Preserve Commission, Frankfort.