Print Report
CEGL006525 Dasiphora fruticosa / Carex lasiocarpa / Campylium stellatum Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Shrubby-cinquefoil / Woolly-fruit Sedge / Star Campylium Moss Fen
Colloquial Name: Northern Shrubby-cinquefoil Alkaline Fen
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These rich shrub-graminoid fens occur in northern New England. They are found in basin peatlands that have developed over circumneutral to calcareous substrates, often as one component of the peatland vegetation. The substrate pH is 6 or above, usually pH 7-8. Physiognomy varies, sometimes within a peatland, from shrub-dominated (shrubs typically 0.4-0.8 m tall), with graminoids and other herbs in patches, to herb-dominated, with scattered shrubs. In rare cases, the fen may show patterning, with woody-dominated strings and bryophyte/herb-dominated flarks. Trees, if even present, are sparse and small, or in the patterned fen variant, confined to linear strings. The bryoid layer is well-developed. The scattered trees may include Thuja occidentalis, Acer rubrum, Larix laricina, and occasionally Picea mariana. Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda is the dominant shrub, sometimes with shrub-sized Thuja occidentalis. Chamaedaphne calyculata, Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla, Aronia melanocarpa, and Myrica gale may also be present. In the more enriched examples, Salix candida, Cornus sericea, or Betula pumila may be present. Carex lasiocarpa is the most characteristic graminoid; some sites may have lawns of Trichophorum cespitosum. Muhlenbergia glomerata and Carex livida are indicator species, although usually neither is abundant. Other herbs include Eriophorum viridicarinatum, Trichophorum alpinum, Parnassia glauca, Lobelia kalmii, Carex exilis, Carex interior, Juncus stygius, Carex tenuiflora, Symphyotrichum boreale, and Solidago uliginosa. The bryophyte layer is strongly dominated by Campylium stellatum, with the calciphile Sphagnum warnstorfii often present in lower abundance. The presence (and usually abundance) of Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda differentiates this type from northeastern herb-dominated rich peatland fens.
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: Physiognomy varies, sometimes within a peatland, from shrub-dominated (shrubs typically 0.4-0.8 m tall), with graminoids and other herbs in patches, to herb-dominated, with scattered shrubs. In rare cases, the fen may show patterning, with woody-dominated strings and bryophyte/herb-dominated flarks. Trees, if even present, are sparse and small. The bryoid layer is well-developed. Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda) is the dominant shrub, sometimes with shrub-sized Thuja occidentalis. Chamaedaphne calyculata, Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla (= Andromeda glaucophylla), Aronia melanocarpa, and Myrica gale may also be present. In the more enriched examples, Salix candida, Cornus sericea, or Betula pumila may be present. Carex lasiocarpa is the most characteristic graminoid; some sites may have lawns of Trichophorum cespitosum (= Scirpus cespitosus). The grass Muhlenbergia glomerata is an indicator species, although usually not abundant. Other herbs include Eriophorum viridicarinatum, Trichophorum alpinum, Parnassia glauca, Lobelia kalmii, Carex interior, Symphyotrichum boreale (= Aster borealis), and Solidago uliginosa. The bryophyte layer is strongly dominated by Campylium stellatum, with the calciphile Sphagnum warnstorfii often present in lower abundance.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These rich shrub-graminoid fens occur in northern New England. They are found in basin peatlands that have developed over circumneutral to calcareous substrates, often as one component of the peatland vegetation. The substrate pH is 6 or above, usually pH 7-8.
Geographic Range: No Data Available
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ME, NH, NY, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687547
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.2 Shrubby cinquefoil - Woolly-fruit Sedge / Star Campylium Moss Alkaline Fen Macrogroup | M877 | 2.C.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.2.e Shrubby-cinquefoil - Woolly-fruit Sedge Eastern Boreal Alkaline Fen Group | G804 | 2.C.2.Na.2.e |
| Alliance | A4441 Bog Birch / <i>Carex lasiocarpa - Carex flava</i> Alkaline Fen Alliance | A4441 | 2.C.2.Na.2.e |
| Association | CEGL006525 Shrubby-cinquefoil / Woolly-fruit Sedge / Star Campylium Moss Fen | CEGL006525 | 2.C.2.Na.2.e |
Concept Lineage: CEGL006160 concept covered by CEGL006525 (LAS 3-28-13); CEGL006085 merged into CEGL006525 (1-03)
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- Anderson, D. S., and R. B. Davis. 1997. The vegetation and its environment in Maine peatlands. Canadian Journal of Botany 75:1785-1805.
- 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.
- Olivero, A. M. 2001. Classification and mapping of New York''s calcareous fen communities. New York Natural Heritage Program. Report prepared for The Nature Conservancy - Central/Western New York Chapter, Albany, NY. June 2001. 28 pp. plus appendices.
- 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.