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CEGL002656 Salix monticola / Carex aquatilis Wet Shrubland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Park Willow / Water Sedge Wet Shrubland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This plant association is a tall (1.5-2.5 m [5-8 feet]), deciduous shrubland with a fairly open willow canopy and a thick carpet of grasses and sedges. It occurs in the southern Rocky Mountains on coarse-textured streambanks and floodplains of narrow, sinuous streams in narrow valleys, often forming a continuous canopy across the entire valley floor at elevations of 2100-2980 m (7000-9760 feet). Salix monticola, with 27-88% cover, has the highest abundance, though other willow species may have a higher combined canopy cover. Other shrubs (with percent cover) include Salix bebbiana (7-17%), Salix drummondiana (1-40%), Cornus sericea (70%), and Lonicera involucrata. The undergrowth is dominated by patches of Carex aquatilis (10-50%), though Carex utriculata and Calamagrostis canadensis are often present. Dominance of Carex aquatilis (numerically or in constancy) distinguishes this plant association from ~Salix monticola / Carex utriculata Wet Shrubland (CEGL002657)$$ and ~Salix monticola / Calamagrostis canadensis Wet Shrubland (CEGL001222)$$.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Classification is based on 11 quantitative plots in Colorado. It is not documented elsewhere. Literature from Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon indicate that Salix monticola loses importance north and west of the center of its distribution in Colorado. There are no synonyms in the literature. ~Salix (boothii, geyeriana) / Carex aquatilis Wet Shrubland (CEGL001176)$$, which occasionally has Salix monticola in the canopy, is closely related.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: This shrubland association is characterized by a tall (1.5-2.5 m [5-8 feet]), moderately open to dense, deciduous willow canopy typically dominated by Salix monticola with an herbaceous understory that is typically dominated by the sedge Carex aquatilis. Salix monticola is the matrix willow species found throughout the stand, even though the other willows may have more cover. Other shrubs may include Salix geyeriana, Salix drummondiana, Salix boothii, Salix bebbiana, Salix planifolia, Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia, Betula nana, Cornus sericea, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Lonicera involucrata, Ribes inerme, Ribes montigenum, and Rosa woodsii. Carex aquatilis either dominates or codominates the graminoid layer and is the most consistent graminoid species. Carex utriculata and Calamagrostis canadensis are often present at lower cover. Other common herbaceous species include Agrostis scabra, Caltha leptosepala, Cardamine cordifolia, Carex canescens, Carex disperma, Carex microptera, Conioselinum scopulorum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Mertensia ciliata, Equisetum arvense, Glyceria striata, Mentha arvensis, Pedicularis groenlandica, Senecio triangularis, Swertia perennis, and introduced species Poa pratensis (Kittel et al. 1997b, Carsey et al. 2003a, 2003b).

Dynamics:  Within these wet-mesic environments, Carex aquatilis is intermediate along the moisture gradient between Carex utriculata (wettest) and Calamagrostis canadensis (drier) (Carsey et al. 2003a).
Environmental Description:  This riparian plant association occurs in the southern Rocky Mountains on coarse-textured streambanks and floodplains of narrow, sinuous streams in narrow valleys, often forming a continuous canopy across the entire valley floor at elevations of 2100-2980 m (7000-9760 feet). Stream channels are narrow and highly sinuous (Rosgen''s Channel Type: D6E4) or braided by beaver activity (Rosgen''s Channel Type: D6) (Rosgen 1996). Sites are frequently flooded and have a high water table throughout the year. Soils are derived from alluvium and are sandy clay loams to sandy loams with layers of gravel and organic matter, often with mottles at 20 cm (8 inches) depth (Kittel et al. 1997b, Carsey et al. 2003a, 2003b).
Geographic Range: This southern Rocky Mountain riparian plant association has been documented in the Yampa, South Platte, Rio Grande/Closed Basin, and Arkansas river basins in Colorado.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  CO


Confidence Level: Moderate

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.Nb Western North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division D031 2.C.4.Nb
Macrogroup 2.C.4.Nb.5 Sitka Alder - Booth''s Willow / Northwest Territory Sedge Montane Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup M893 2.C.4.Nb.5
Group 2.C.4.Nb.5.d Willow species - Alder species - Water Birch Riparian & Seep Shrubland Group G527 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Alliance A0981 Park Willow Wet Shrubland Alliance A0981 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Association CEGL002656 Park Willow / Water Sedge Wet Shrubland CEGL002656 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Salix monticola / Carex aquatilis Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
= Salix monticola / Carex aquatilis Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003b)
= Salix monticola/Carex aquatilis (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Mountain willow/water sedge (Salix monticola/Carex aquatilis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1999a)
= Rocky Mountain willow/aquatic sedge (Salix monticola/Carex aquatilis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1997a)
Concept Author(s): R.J. Rondeau

Author of Description: R.J. Rondeau and K.A. Schulz

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 07-25-05
  • CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
  • Carsey, K., D. Cooper, K. Decker, D. Culver, and G. Kittel. 2003b. Statewide wetlands classification and characterization: Wetland plant associations of Colorado. Prepared for Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Denver, by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 79 pp. [http://www.cnhp.colostate.edu/documents/2003/wetland_classification_final_report_2003.pdf]
  • Carsey, K., G. Kittel, K. Decker, D. J. Cooper, and D. Culver. 2003a. Field guide to the wetland and riparian plant associations of Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins, CO.
  • Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, M. Damm, R. Rondeau, S. Kettler, A. McMullen, and J. Sanderson. 1999b. A classification of riparian and wetland plant associations of Colorado: A user''s guide to the classification project. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO. 70 pp. plus appendices.
  • Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, M. Damm, R. Rondeau, S. Kettler, and J. Sanderson. 1999a. A classification of the riparian plant associations of the Rio Grande and Closed Basin watersheds, Colorado. Unpublished report prepared by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
  • Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, and M. Damm. 1997a. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the South Platte Basin (and part of Republican River Basin), Colorado. Submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII. Prepared by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
  • Kittel, G., R. Rondeau, and S. Kettler. 1995. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the Gunnison River Basin, Colorado. Submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency. Prepared by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins. 114 pp.
  • Rosgen, D. 1996. Applied river morphology. Wildland Hydrology, Pagosa Springs, CO.
  • Salas, D., J. Stevens, and K. Schulz. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Technical Memorandum No. 8260-05-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 161 pp. plus Appendices A-L (733 pp.).
  • Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.