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CEGL002049 Riverine Sand Flats - Bars Sparse Vegetation

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Riverine Sand Flats - Bars Sparse Vegetation

Colloquial Name: Riverine Sand Flats - Bars

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This community ranges from the western Great Plains to the eastern parts of the midwestern United States and Canada. It is a sparsely vegetated community that occurs along river shorelines, islands, pointbars, and flats. These sandbars form when receding floodwaters deposit sand and lesser amounts of clay, silt, and cobbles in the streambed. Soils are often undeveloped due to the ephemeral nature of the stands. Drainage depends on depth above the water level. Herbaceous species shared in Missouri and Nebraska include Cyperus spp. (Cyperus erythrorhizos, Cyperus odoratus, Cyperus squarrosus), Eragrostis hypnoides, Eragrostis trichodes, Leptochloa fusca ssp. fascicularis, Polygonum spp. (including Polygonum lapathifolium), Rorippa sinuata, Sporobolus cryptandrus, and Xanthium strumarium.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This type will need to be separated into at least a Great Plains versus a Midwest type. The current description is based primarily on work available in Missouri (Nelson 1985) and Nebraska (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2000). See also ~Great Plains Riverine Gravel Flats Sparse Vegetation (CEGL005223)$$.

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

Floristics: Vegetation is very sparse, highly dynamic and irregular in structure because of constantly changing conditions on the river. Herbaceous species shared in Missouri and Nebraska include Cyperus spp. (Cyperus erythrorhizos, Cyperus odoratus, Cyperus squarrosus), Eragrostis hypnoides, Eragrostis trichodes, Leptochloa fusca ssp. fascicularis (= Leptochloa fascicularis), Polygonum spp. (including Polygonum lapathifolium), Rorippa sinuata, Sporobolus cryptandrus, and Xanthium strumarium. Other species listed for Nebraska and Missouri alone can be found in Nelson (1985) and Steinauer and Rolfsmeier (2000). Woody cover is generally absent in the first year of establishment but can increase if the site does not flood. A broader description including other Midwest and Great Plains sites is needed. Given the dynamic nature of the habitat and lack of information from across the range of this type, it is not clear which species are most constant in the Great Plains.

Dynamics:  This community can be very short-lived. For example, in Nebraska, it rarely persists for more than a single season before it is either destroyed by flooding or succeeds to other communities such as Salix exigua communities (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2000).
Environmental Description:  This community is a sparsely vegetated community that occurs along river shorelines, islands, pointbars, and flats. These sandbars form when receding floodwaters deposit sand and lesser amounts of clay, silt, gravel, and cobbles in the stream bed. Soils are often undeveloped due to the ephemeral nature of the stands. Drainage depends on depth above the water level (Nelson 1985, Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2000).
Geographic Range: This community is found from the western Great Plains to the eastern parts of the midwestern United States and Canada, ranging from Indiana northwest to Saskatchewan, and south to Kansas.

Nations: CA,US

States/Provinces:  IL, IN, KS, MB, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, SK?, WY


Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5

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.3 Eastern North American Wet Shoreline Vegetation Macrogroup M880 2.C.4.Nd.3
Group 2.C.4.Nd.3.a Eastern North American Riverine Wetland Vegetation Group G755 2.C.4.Nd.3.a
Alliance A4494 Central Lowlands Rivershore Alliance A4494 2.C.4.Nd.3.a
Association CEGL002049 Riverine Sand Flats - Bars Sparse Vegetation CEGL002049 2.C.4.Nd.3.a
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Annual mudflat (Currier 1982)
= River Beach Sand Subtype (MNNHP 1993)
= Riverine Sand Flats - Bars Sparse Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Sandbar/Mudflat (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2000)
Concept Author(s): Steinauer and Rolfsmeier (2000)

Author of Description: D. Faber-Langendoen

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 03-08-99
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