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CEGL001478 Spartina pectinata - Schoenoplectus pungens Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Prairie Cordgrass - Common Threesquare Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: Prairie Cordgrass - Bulrush Wet Meadow
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This wetland plant association seems to occur on the Great Plains of eastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming, in stream channels and on low terraces. Soils range in texture from clay to loam, and often are only moderately saline (although salt concentration may be high). The water table is near the soil surface throughout the year. Spartina pectinata generally dominates the vegetation, and Schoenoplectus pungens is present in substantial amounts and may codominate.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: A number of wetland and riparian studies have produced data on stands of vegetation dominated by Spartina pectinata with Schoenoplectus pungens present in many of those stands. The presence of substantial amounts of Schoenoplectus pungens, to the point that it codominates with Spartina pectinata, seems to have prompted the naming of this ~Spartina pectinata - Schoenoplectus pungens Wet Meadow (CEGL001478)$$. However, there seems to have been no thorough comparison of these Spartina pectinata - Schoenoplectus pungens stands to other Spartina pectinata stands with little or no Schoenoplectus pungens, so the relationship of this association to others is unclear.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is dominated by tall graminoids approximately 1-2 m tall. Vegetation cover is usually high. Spartina pectinata is dominant and can form near monocultures. Schoenoplectus pungens (= Scirpus pungens), Poa pratensis, Carex praegracilis, and Carex nebrascensis are all common constituents of the herbaceous stratum (Jones 1992b). Shrubs and trees are not abundant, but Salix spp. can be found in many stands.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is usually found as narrow bands along the margins of low-gradient or standing open water and in depressions where the soil is saturated or flooded for short periods during the growing season (Jones and Walford 1995). Soils are fine-textured and often have a high organic content.
Geographic Range: Stands from southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming seem to belong to this association, but whether stands from other areas also belong to it is unknown.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686478
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
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.5 Prairie Cordgrass - Cattail species - Bulrush species Great Plains Marsh, Wet Meadow, Shrubland & Playa Macrogroup | M071 | 2.C.4.Nd.5 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.5.b Prairie Cordgrass - Slimstem Reedgrass - Sedge species Great Plains Wet Prairie, Wet Meadow & Seepage Fen Group | G336 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.b |
| Alliance | A3493 Prairie Cordgrass Great Plains Wet Meadow Alliance | A3493 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.b |
| Association | CEGL001478 Prairie Cordgrass - Common Threesquare Wet Meadow | CEGL001478 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Spartina pectinata Habitat Type (Hansen et al. 1995)
- Bourgeron, P. S., and L. D. Engelking, editors. 1994. A preliminary vegetation classification of the western United States. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Western Heritage Task Force, Boulder, CO. 175 pp. plus appendix.
- Culwell, L. D., and K. L. Scow. 1982. Terrestrial vegetation inventory: Dominy Project Area, Custer County, Montana 1979-1980. Unpublished technical report for Western Energy Company by Westech, Helena, MT. 144 pp. plus 15 pp. appendix.
- Hansen, P. L., R. D. Pfister, K. Boggs, B. J. Cook, J. Joy, and D. K. Hinckley. 1995. Classification and management of Montana''s riparian and wetland sites. Miscellaneous Publication No. 54. Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana. 646 pp. plus posters.
- Jones, G. 1992b. Wyoming plant community classification (Draft). Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 183 pp.
- Jones, G. P., and G. M. Walford. 1995. Major riparian vegetation types of eastern Wyoming. Submitted to Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 245 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
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- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. [1998] f. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Devils Tower National Monument. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 28 pp.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. [1998]e. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, Classification of the vegetation of Fort Laramie National Historic Site. The Nature Conservancy, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 40 pp.
- Vanderhorst, J., S. V. Cooper, and B. Heidel. 1998. Botanical and vegetation survey of Carter County, Montana. Unpublished report prepared for the Bureau of Land Management. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena. 116 pp. + app.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.