Print Report

CEGL001559 Calamagrostis canadensis Western Wet Meadow

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bluejoint Western Wet Meadow

Colloquial Name: Western Bluejoint Wet Meadow

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This wet grassland association occurs widely throughout mountainous areas of the western United States and Canada. These grasslands are a relatively small, meadow association that occurs in broad glaciated valleys, openings in moist forests, silted-in beaver ponds, and narrow floodplains of lower montane canyons. Elevations range from 670 to 3415 m (2200-11,200 feet). Parent material is generally coarse alluvium or fine glacial tills. Soils are Inceptisols, Entisols, and occasionally Mollisols. Textures range from clay loam, silty clay and silt loam to sand. Occurrences may have an organic layer on the surface as well as significant amounts of sand and rock in the lower layers, and are poorly to moderately well-drained. Stands generally stay relatively wet to moist throughout the growing season, are often flooded in the spring, and the water table drops 50-80 cm from the surface by late summer. This association is typically a dense sward of graminoid cover dominated by Calamagrostis canadensis. Other graminoid species usually present include Carex aquatilis and Glyceria spp. Other Carex spp. that can be present in low amounts, depending on geographic location, include Carex utriculata, Carex nebrascensis, Carex canescens and Carex saxatilis. Forb cover is variable, from nearly absent to over 25%. Species include Caltha leptosepala, Senecio triangularis, Heracleum maximum, Mentha arvensis, Geum macrophyllum, Epilobium spp., plus many other species, depending on location. Shrubs may be present with 1-5% cover and may include Alnus incana, Symphoricarpos spp., and Salix spp. Trees are rare but can include 1-3% cover of Pinus contorta, Abies lasiocarpa, and Picea engelmannii.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This association is defined as a PNV vegetation type. If it were renamed as a dominance type, the species would include Calamagrostis canadensis and Scirpus microcarpus.

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

Floristics: This association is typically a dense sward of graminoid cover dominated by Calamagrostis canadensis. Other graminoid species usually present include Carex aquatilis and Glyceria spp. Other Carex spp. that can be present in low amounts, depending on location, include Carex utriculata, Carex microptera, Carex nebrascensis, Carex canescens, and Carex saxatilis. Forb cover is variable, from nearly absent to over 25%. Species include Caltha leptosepala, Senecio triangularis, Heracleum maximum, Mentha arvensis, Geum macrophyllum, and Epilobium spp. Shrubs may be present with 1-5% cover and may include Alnus incana and Salix spp. Trees are rare but can include Pinus contorta, Abies lasiocarpa, and Picea engelmannii. Chamerion angustifolium may be abundant (10%) reflecting recent disturbance (fire).

Dynamics:  Moderate to heavy grazing reduces the vigor of Calamagrostis canadensis, and other mostly non-native graminoids and forbs will dominate the site. Species include Poa pratensis, Agrostis stolonifera, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis, and Achillea millefolium. Prescribed burning may increase the cover of rhizomatous species, such as Calamagrostis canadensis, an aggressive invader of burned sites, while reducing the abundance of other associated species. However, with repeated burning, non-native, rhizomatous Poa pratensis may be favored. Burning should be postponed if livestock grazing is necessary in the area. This is because of the high palatability of young Calamagrostis canadensis shoots which revegetate burned sites (Hansen et al. 1995).

Calamagrostis canadensis and the associated Carex species are effective streambank stabilizers due to their rhizomatous growth habit. Many Carex species tend to form a dense, thick sod highly resistant to erosion. Deschampsia cespitosa, another associated species, is not an effective streambank stabilizer due to its weak, fibrous root system (Hansen et al. 1995).
Environmental Description:  These grasslands are a relatively small, meadow association that occurs in broad glaciated valleys, openings in moist forests, silted-in beaver ponds, and narrow floodplains of lower montane canyons. Elevations range from 670 to 3400 m (2200-11,200 feet). Sites are flat to gently sloping. Parent material is generally coarse alluvium or fine glacial tills. Soils are Inceptisols, Entisols, and occasionally Mollisols. Textures range from clay loam, silty clay and silt loam to sand. Stands may have an organic layer on the surface as well as significant amounts of sand and rock in the lower layers. Stands are poorly to moderately well-drained. Stands generally stay relatively wet to moist throughout the growing season, are often flooded in the spring, and the water table drops 50-80 cm from the surface by late summer.
Geographic Range: This type occurs widely throughout mountainous areas of the western United States and probably into Canada.

Nations: CA,US

States/Provinces:  AB, BC, CA, CO, ID, MT, ND, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY


Confidence Level: High

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4

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.b Sedge species - Reedgrass species Montane Wet Meadow & Marsh Group G521 2.C.4.Nb.5.b
Alliance A3815 Bluejoint - Slimstem Reedgrass- Fowl Bluegrass Wet Meadow Alliance A3815 2.C.4.Nb.5.b
Association CEGL001559 Bluejoint Western Wet Meadow CEGL001559 2.C.4.Nb.5.b
Concept Lineage: CEGL003484 from Yosemite and CEGL001561 from Wyoming sound very similar to and are therefore lumped with CEGL001559 (GK 2-12). MSR 5-10: boreal portion of this assoction split out (CEGL005287).

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Calamagrostis canadensis - C. canadensis Habitat Type (Mattson 1984)
< Calamagrostis canadensis - Carex scopulorum / Mertensia ciliata Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
> Calamagrostis canadensis - Deschampsia cespitosa Habitat Type (Mattson 1984)
> Calamagrostis canadensis - Senecio triangularis Habitat Type (Mattson 1984)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Herbaceous Vegetation (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Calamagrostis canadensis (Crowe and Clausnitzer 1997)
= Calamagrostis canadensis (McCain and Christy 2005) [10 plots]
= Calamagrostis canadensis (Murray 2000)
? Calamagrostis canadensis (Sawyer et al. 2009) [41.224.01]
= Calamagrostis canadensis Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Association (Kovalchik 1993)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Association (Christy 2004)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Community (Cooper and Cottrell 1990)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Community (Cooper 1986a)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Community Type (Padgett et al. 1989) [(p.105)]
< Calamagrostis canadensis Habitat Type (Hansen et al. 1995) [includes stands dominated by Calamagrostis stricta.]
= Calamagrostis canadensis Herbaceous Vegetation (Carsey et al. 2003a)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Herbaceous Vegetation (Cooper et al. 1999)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Herbaceous Vegetation [Provisional] (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Western Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Western Herbaceous Vegetation (Carsey et al. 2003b)
= Calamagrostis canadensis Western Wet Meadow (DiPaolo et al. 2018)
>< Association: Agropyro trachycauli - Calamagrostietum canadensis (Komarkova 1976) (Komarkova 1979)
= Bluejoint reedgrass association (Kovalchik 1987) [(p.138) Miscellaneous associations and community types.]
< Mesic Grass Meadow (Bierly 1972) [dominated by Deschampsia cespitosa, Calamagrostis canadensis, Festuca brachyphylla, and Carex aquatilis.]
< Montane meadow Habitat (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995) [(p.353)]
Concept Author(s): D. Faber-Langendoen

Author of Description: D. Faber-Langendoen, G. Kittel and K.A. Schulz

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 01-05-05
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