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CEGL002041 Carex pellita - Carex spp. - Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Woolly Sedge - Sedge species - Softstem Bulrush Fen
Colloquial Name: Central Tallgrass Fen
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community occurs near the bases of canyon and valley slopes and on floodplain terraces in the central-western tallgrass prairie region of the United States. Stands have soils that are classified as hydric or show evidence of low oxygen availability during the growing season. The soil is saturated to the surface or, more rarely, may be temporarily flooded. The soils are peat or muck, often mixed with sand. They are deep and continually saturated with moderately to possibly strongly minerotrophic groundwater (pH 6-8.4). Vegetation consists mainly of hydrophytic graminoids and forbs between 0.5 and 1 m tall. Shrubs are occasionally present. Carex pellita, Juncus spp., and Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani dominate this community. Other herbaceous species include Carex emoryi, Carex hystericina, Carex interior, Dulichium arundinaceum, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Onoclea sensibilis, and Thelypteris palustris. In Missouri, species include Asclepias incarnata, Carex hystericina, Carex lurida, Chelone glabra, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, and Scirpus atrovirens.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Missouri part of range needs review to see if it matches stands in Nebraska and Kansas, but currently includes stands found in northern (glaciated) Missouri that are not like their Ozark or prairie fens, e.g., Carex lurida is not present in northern Missouri fens. Distinctions between this fen type and the Great Plains Neutral Seep type, ~Typha latifolia - Equisetum hyemale - Carex (hystericina, pellita) Seepage Meadow (CEGL002033)$$, should be reviewed.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Vegetation consists mainly of hydrophytic graminoids and forbs between 0.5 and 1 m tall. Shrubs are occasionally present. Carex pellita (= Carex lanuginosa), Juncus spp., and Schoenoplectus spp. dominate this community. Other herbaceous species include Carex emoryi, Carex hystericina, Carex interior, Dulichium arundinaceum, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Onoclea sensibilis, and Thelypteris palustris (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2000). In Missouri, species include Asclepias incarnata, Carex hystericina, Carex lurida, Chelone glabra, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (= Scirpus tabernaemontani), and Scirpus atrovirens (M. Leahy pers. comm. 1998).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Seepage fens occur near the bases of canyon and valley slopes and on floodplain terraces. They have soils that are classified as hydric or show evidence of low oxygen availability during the growing season. The soil is saturated to the surface or flooded at some point during the growing season. The soils are peat or muck, often mixed with sand. They are deep and continually saturated with moderately (pH 6.0-6.9) to possibly strongly (pH 7.0-8.4) minerotrophic groundwater. The peat often creates uplifted mounds. Subsurface recharge of fens may occur through localized artesian conditions.
Geographic Range: This community occurs in saturated areas on low slopes and floodplain terraces in the central-western tallgrass prairie region, extending from northern Missouri west to Nebraska and Kansas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: KS, MO, NE
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686424
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.2 Temperate to Polar Bog & Fen Formation | F016 | 2.C.2 |
| Division | 2.C.2.Na North American Bog & Fen Division | D029 | 2.C.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.2.Na.2 Shrubby cinquefoil - Woolly-fruit Sedge / Star Campylium Moss Alkaline Fen Macrogroup | M877 | 2.C.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.2.b Shrubby-cinquefoil / Dioecious Sedge - Smooth Sawgrass Alkaline Fen Group | G183 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A4129 Inland Sedge - Woolly Sedge Central Plains Graminoid Fen Alliance | A4129 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL002041 Woolly Sedge - Sedge species - Softstem Bulrush Fen | CEGL002041 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Carex pellita - Carex spp. - Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Fen Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- 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.).
- INAI [Iowa Natural Areas Inventory]. 2017. Vegetation classification of Iowa. Iowa Natural Areas Inventory, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines.
- Lauver, C. L. 1989. Preliminary classification of the natural communities of Kansas. Unpublished report. Kansas Natural Heritage Program, Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence.
- Lauver, C. L., K. Kindscher, D. Faber-Langendoen, and R. Schneider. 1999. A classification of the natural vegetation of Kansas. The Southwestern Naturalist 44:421-443.
- Leahy, Mike. Personal communication. Missouri Natural Heritage Database, Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Nelson, P. 2010. The terrestrial natural communities of Missouri. Revised edition. Missouri Natural Areas Committee, Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Conservation, Jefferson City.
- Nelson, P. W. 1985. The terrestrial natural communities of Missouri. Missouri Natural Areas Committee, Jefferson City. 197 pp. Revised edition, 1987.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B., and G. Steinauer. 2010. Terrestrial ecological systems and natural communities of Nebraska (Version IV - March 9, 2010). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, NE. 228 pp.
- Steinauer, G. 1989. Characterization of the natural communities of Nebraska. Appendix D, pages 103-114 in: M. Clausen, M. Fritz, and G. Steinauer. The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, two year progress report. Unpublished document. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Natural Heritage Program, Lincoln, NE.