Print Report
CEGL002649 Populus deltoides / Carex pellita Floodplain Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern Cottonwood / Woolly Sedge Floodplain Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This woodland plant association occurs sporadically on clayey soils along broad, braided channels in low-lying swales and overflow channels in the lower South Platte River of northeastern Colorado (Central Shortgrass Prairie, Ecoregion 27). It also occurs in Wyoming, and is likely to be found in Nebraska and Kansas. Mature Populus deltoides dominates the canopy, while Carex pellita forms a dense ground cover. Tree canopy may also include Salix amygdaloides. There is no consistent shrub canopy, though Prunus virginiana, Celtis laevigata, and Parthenocissus quinquefolia may be present. Other herbs include Elymus lanceolatus, Bromus inermis, Muhlenbergia asperifolia, and Phalaris arundinacea. This is a late-seral community, requiring first scouring floods for Populus deltoides establishment, then cessation of scouring floods for Carex pellita establishment.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is new to the literature; however, it has been observed by the Wyoming and Nebraska Natural Heritage Program ecologists and is expected to occur in Kansas as well. Classification is based on 7 quantitative plots along the South Platte and Arkansas rivers in Colorado. Sites occupied are slightly less well-drained than areas dominated by Spartina pectinata.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Mature Populus deltoides dominates the canopy (50-80% canopy cover), while Carex pellita (= Carex lanuginosa) forms a dense ground cover. Tree canopy may also include Salix amygdaloides (31-61% cover). There is no consistent shrub canopy, though Prunus virginiana, Celtis laevigata, and Parthenocissus quinquefolia may be present. Other herbs include Elymus lanceolatus, Bromus inermis, Muhlenbergia asperifolia, and Phalaris arundinacea.
Dynamics: This is a late-seral community, requiring first scouring floods for Populus deltoides establishment, then cessation of scouring floods for Carex pellita establishment.
Environmental Description: This woodland plant association occurs sporadically on clayey soils along broad, braided channels in low-lying swales and overflow channels in the lower South Platte River of northeastern Colorado (Central Shortgrass Prairie, Ecoregion 27). It also occurs in Wyoming, and is likely to be found in Nebraska and Kansas.
Geographic Range: This community is found in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and probably Kansas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, KS?, NE?, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687845
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Na Eastern North American-Great Plains Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D011 | 1.B.3.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Na.4 Eastern Cottonwood - Green Ash / Willow species Flooded & Swamp Forest | M028 | 1.B.3.Na.4 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.4.a Eastern Cottonwood - Green Ash / Western Wheatgrass Floodplain Forest Group | G147 | 1.B.3.Na.4.a |
| Alliance | A0636 Eastern Cottonwood Floodplain Woodland Alliance | A0636 | 1.B.3.Na.4.a |
| Association | CEGL002649 Eastern Cottonwood / Woolly Sedge Floodplain Woodland | CEGL002649 | 1.B.3.Na.4.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Populus deltoides / Carex pellita (=lanuginosa) Woodland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
- CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
- Carsey, K., G. Kittel, K. Decker, D. J. Cooper, and D. Culver. 2003a. Field guide to the wetland and riparian plant associations of Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins, CO.
- Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, M. Damm, R. Rondeau, S. Kettler, and J. Sanderson. 1999a. A classification of the riparian plant associations of the Rio Grande and Closed Basin watersheds, Colorado. Unpublished report prepared by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
- Kittel, G., R. Rondeau, and A. McMullen. 1996. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the Lower South Platte and parts of the Upper Arkansas River basins, Colorado. Submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII. Prepared by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins. 243 pp.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.