Print Report
CEGL006526 Carex scirpoidea Alkaline Cliff Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern Single-spike Sedge Alkaline Cliff Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Near-Boreal Alkaline Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in subboreal settings of northern New England, New York, and adjacent Canadian provinces, where weathering of calcium-bearing rock creates calcareous conditions. It is usually found above 305 m (1000 feet) elevation. The vertical cliffs may be composed of alkaline bedrock such as limestone, but this vegetation can also be found on cliffs where the matrix rock is acidic (e.g., schists or even granite), either where local inclusions weather to more nutrient-rich conditions or where fractures conduct more nutrient-rich seepage waters. These cliffs are mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation. The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and can vary from well-vegetated to barren across the cliff face. It is a mixture of scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. This association is differentiated from other northeastern cliff associations by the combination of a subboreal setting (as evidenced by the woody plants within and surrounding this vegetation: Picea rubens, Alnus viridis, Acer spicatum, etc.) and the presence of calciphiles such as Dryopteris fragrans, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, and Campanula rotundifolia.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Cliff vegetation in the Northeast has not been well studied, and comparative work is needed across the Northeast, upper Midwest, and adjacent Canada.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and can vary from well-vegetated to barren across the cliff face. It is a mixture of scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. Characteristic woody plants include Thuja occidentalis, Alnus viridis, Picea rubens, Acer spicatum, Betula papyrifera, Betula alleghaniensis, Ribes triste, Rubus odoratus, Sambucus racemosa (= Sambucus pubens), and Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda). Herbs include some assortment of Carex scirpoidea, Carex eburnea, Carex brunnescens, Trichophorum cespitosum (= Scirpus cespitosus), Aralia racemosa, Primula mistassinica, Primula laurentiana, Lobelia kalmii, Arabis lyrata, Saxifraga virginiensis, Saxifraga paniculata (= Saxifraga aizoon), Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga aizoides, Draba breweri var. cana (= Draba lanceolata), Pinguicula vulgaris, and Rhodiola rosea (= Sedum rosea). Characteristic ferns include Cryptogramma stelleri, Asplenium trichomanes-ramosum, Asplenium trichomanes-ramosum, Dryopteris fragrans, Cystopteris bulbifera, Cystopteris fragilis, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Woodsia ilvensis, and Woodsia glabella. The bryoid flora can be diverse but is little documented outside of New Hampshire. Noted in the New Hampshire study were the calciphiles Distichium capillaceum, Gymnostomum aeruginosum, and Tortella tortuosa, and the circumneutral indicators Amphidium mougeotii (the most frequent of the indicators), Diplophyllum apiculatum, Mnium thomsonii, Myurella sibirica, and Polytrichastrum alpinum (= Pogonatum alpinum).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in sub-boreal settings of northern New England and New York, and adjacent Canadian provinces, where weathering of calcium-bearing rock creates calcareous conditions. It is usually found above 305 m (1000 feet) elevation. The vertical cliffs may be composed of alkaline bedrock such as limestone, but this vegetation can also be found on cliffs where the matrix rock is acidic (e.g., schists or even granite), either where local inclusions weather to more nutrient-rich conditions or where fractures conduct more nutrient-rich seepage waters. These cliffs are mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation.
Geographic Range: This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in sub-boreal settings of northern New England and New York, and adjacent Canadian provinces.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ME, NH, NY, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687412
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 6 Open Rock Vegetation Class | C06 | 6 |
| Subclass | 6.B Temperate & Boreal Open Rock Vegetation Subclass | S04 | 6.B |
| Formation | 6.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Cliff, Scree & Other Rock Vegetation Formation | F034 | 6.B.1 |
| Division | 6.B.1.Na Eastern North American Temperate Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Division | D051 | 6.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 6.B.1.Na.1 Shrubby Fivefingers - Rock Polypody / Cup Lichen species Eastern North American Cliff & Rock Vegetation Macrogroup | M111 | 6.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 6.B.1.Na.1.b Laurentian-Acadian-Great Lakes Cliff & Rock Vegetation Group | G839 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
| Alliance | A4006 Laurentian-Acadian-Great Lakes Alkaline Cliff Alliance | A4006 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
| Association | CEGL006526 Northern Single-spike Sedge Alkaline Cliff Vegetation | CEGL006526 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Boreal Circumneutral Open Outcrop (Gawler 2002)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Gawler, S. C. 2002. Natural landscapes of Maine: A guide to vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta, ME.
- Gawler, S. C., and A. Cutko. 2010. Natural landscapes of Maine: A classification of vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta.
- Sperduto, D. D., and W. F. Nichols. 2004. Natural communities of New Hampshire: A guide and classification. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, DRED Division of Forests and Lands, Concord. 242 pp.
- Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2005. Wetland, woodland, wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH. 456 pp.