Print Report
CEGL003436 Ledum glandulosum / Sanguisorba officinalis / Sphagnum spp. Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Western Labrador-tea / Great Burnet / Peatmoss species Fen
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This early-seral association occurs in open mire complexes in poorly drained basins and valleys. It is known in Oregon only from coastal Curry County, and presumably extends into northern California, but likely habitat diminishes farther south of Del Norte County. Circular or elliptical hummocks 1-3 feet taller than the surrounding mire surface form islands of ombrotrophic vegetation in otherwise minerotrophic mire fed by springs and runoff. Mature trees are absent. The shrub layer is dominated by Ledum glandulosum with 3-75% cover. Gaultheria shallon is a frequent associate, but Vaccinium uliginosum is scarce. Sphagnum palustre with up to 99% cover fills openings among the Ledum stems. The herb layer is extremely diverse and includes 21 species. Sanguisorba officinalis is the dominant herb, with up to 60% cover. Carex echinata ssp. phyllomanica, Blechnum spicant, and Agrostis exarata are characteristic of this association. A diversity of herbaceous species present are unusual for wetland associations. Sisyrinchium californicum is otherwise known mostly from deflation plains among coastal sand dunes. Veratrum californicum is more common in montane meadows than coastal peatlands. Carex buxbaumii is otherwise known in Oregon only from middle to upper elevations in the Cascade Range. Helenium bolanderi, Rhynchospora capitellata, Senecio triangularis, and Lilium occidentale are all at the northern end of their range. Hollows between hummocks are generally wet, species-poor, and consist almost entirely of lawns of Sphagnum angustifolium, Sphagnum pacificum, or bare muddy bottoms if trailed by elk and deer.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Mature trees are absent. The shrub layer is dominated by Ledum glandulosum with 3-75% cover. Gaultheria shallon is a frequent associate, but Vaccinium uliginosum is scarce. Sphagnum palustre with up to 99% cover fills openings among the Ledum stems. The herb layer is extremely diverse and includes 21 species. Sanguisorba officinalis is the dominant herb, with up to 60% cover. Carex echinata ssp. phyllomanica, Blechnum spicant, and Agrostis exarata are characteristic of this association. A diversity of herbaceous species present are unusual for wetland associations. Sisyrinchium californicum is otherwise known mostly from deflation plains among coastal sand dunes. Veratrum californicum is more common in montane meadows than coastal peatlands. Carex buxbaumii is otherwise known in Oregon only from middle to upper elevations in the Cascade Range. Helenium bolanderi, Rhynchospora capitellata, Senecio triangularis (= var. angustifolius), and Lilium occidentale are all at the northern end of their range. Hollows between hummocks are generally wet, species-poor, and consist almost entirely of lawns of Sphagnum angustifolium, Sphagnum pacificum, or bare muddy bottoms if trailed by elk and deer.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This early-seral association occurs in open mire complexes in poorly drained basins and valleys. It is known in Oregon only from coastal Curry County, and presumably extends into northern California, but likely habitat diminishes farther south of Del Norte County. Circular or elliptical hummocks 30-60 cm (1-3 feet) taller than the surrounding mire surface form islands of ombrotrophic vegetation in otherwise minerotrophic mire fed by springs and runoff.
Geographic Range: This association is known in Oregon only from coastal Curry County. It presumably extends into northern California, but likely habitat diminishes farther south of Del Norte County.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA, OR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686908
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1G2
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.3 Beach Pine / Bog Labrador-tea / Cusick''s Sedge North Pacific Bog & Fen Macrogroup | M063 | 2.C.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.3.b North Pacific Acidic Open Bog & Fen Group | G284 | 2.C.2.Na.3.b |
| Alliance | A2514 Western Labrador-tea - Bog Labrador-tea Shrub Bog & Acidic Fen Alliance | A2514 | 2.C.2.Na.3.b |
| Association | CEGL003436 Western Labrador-tea / Great Burnet / Peatmoss species Fen | CEGL003436 | 2.C.2.Na.3.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Ledum glandulosum / Sanguisorba officinalis / Sphagnum (McCain and Christy 2005) [45 plots]
= Ledum glandulosum / Sanguisorba officinalis Association (Christy 2004)
= Ledum glandulosum / Sanguisorba officinalis Association (Christy 2004)
- Christy, J. A. 2001a. Low-elevation Sphagnum wetlands in western Oregon. Report to Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, Portland. 90 pp.
- Christy, J. A. 2004. Native freshwater wetland plant associations of northwestern Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Oregon State University, Portland, OR.
- Kagan, J. S., J. A. Christy, M. P. Murray, and J. A. Titus. 2004. Classification of native vegetation of Oregon. January 2004. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Portland. 52 pp.
- McCain, C., and J. A. Christy. 2005. Field guide to riparian plant communities in northwestern Oregon. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-01-05. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland. 357 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.