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CEGL005115 Calamagrostis canadensis - Carex viridula - Cladium mariscoides - Lobelia kalmii Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bluejoint - Little Green Sedge - Smooth Sawgrass - Ontario Lobelia Fen
Colloquial Name: Great Lakes Sedge Rich Shore Fen
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community is typically found on marly coastal sites in northern Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior in the United States. These sites occupy embayments of open, sandy shorelines where limestone bedrock or cobble is at or near the surface. These sites have calcareous soils (with a pH as high as 8.2), resulting either from calcareous substrates, waterflow off adjacent limestone bedrock or limestone-rich till, or algal precipitation of calcium carbonate in the relatively warm, carbonate-saturated waters. These "marly flats" contain a rich assemblage of calciphilic plants. Herbaceous species dominate parts of these areas. The dominant graminoid is Calamagrostis canadensis, but Carex viridula and Lobelia kalmii are key diagnostics of this type. Other diagnostic species include Cladium mariscoides, Hypericum kalmianum, Dichanthelium acuminatum var. lindheimeri, Argentina anserina, and Triglochin maritima. Scattered shrubs, such as Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda or Myrica gale may be present, but shrub cover is less than 25%. In Wisconsin, in coastal estuaries of Lake Superior, common associates include Cladium mariscoides, Carex livida, and Triglochin maritima. Carex exilis is codominant at several sites. On Isle Royale, sedges dominate the vegetation. Cladium mariscoides is most abundant; other common herbs include Carex lacustris, Rhynchospora alba, and Utricularia intermedia. Myrica gale is the most abundant shrub. Sphagnum spp. form an incomplete cover.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type typically occurs as part of ~Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Complex (CECX005702)$$. It is wetter and more herbaceous than the shrub-rich shore fen ~Dasiphora fruticosa - Myrica gale Shore Fen (CEGL005275)$$. Perhaps the shrub and graminoid type can be combined, depending on their spatial extent. Type concept was originally taken from the southern Ontario list of vegetation types by Lee et al. (1998), but it may, in fact, have been deleted by them and combined into their Graminoid Coastal Meadow Marsh type, which is tracked globally as the interdunal wetland type, ~Dasiphora fruticosa / Cladium mariscoides - Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis - (Rhynchospora capillacea) Fen (CEGL005105)$$. That type is a more southern Great Lakes region type that may occur either on the Great Lakes shoreline or on inland lakes. This type may be very similar to an inland extremely rich graminoid fen, ~Carex lasiocarpa - Trichophorum cespitosum - Rhynchospora capillacea / Andromeda polifolia Fen (CEGL002496)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: These ''marly flats'' contain a rich assemblage of calciphilic plants. Herbaceous species dominate parts of these areas. The dominant graminoid is Calamagrostis canadensis, but Carex viridula and Lobelia kalmii are key diagnostics of this type. Other diagnostic species include Cladium mariscoides, Hypericum kalmianum, Dichanthelium acuminatum var. lindheimeri (= Panicum lindheimeri), Argentina anserina (= Potentilla anserina), and Triglochin maritima. Scattered shrubs, such as Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda) or Myrica gale, may be present, but shrub cover is less than 25% (Minc and Albert 1998). In Wisconsin, in coastal estuaries of Lake Superior, common associates include Cladium mariscoides, Carex livida, and Triglochin maritima. Carex exilis is codominant at several sites (E. Epstein pers. comm. 1999). On Isle Royale, a stand occurs in saturated peat on a wet depression of a lakeplain at Hidden Lake. Sedges dominate the vegetation. Cladium mariscoides is most abundant; other common herbs include Carex lacustris, Rhynchospora alba, and Utricularia intermedia. Myrica gale is the most abundant shrub. Sphagnum spp. form an incomplete cover (C. Reschke pers. comm. 1999).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is typically found on marly coastal sites in northern Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior in the United States. These sites occupy embayments of open, sandy shorelines where limestone bedrock or cobble is at or near the surface. These sites have calcareous soils (with a pH as high as 8.2), resulting either from calcareous substrates, water flow off adjacent limestone bedrock or limestone-rich till, or algal precipitation of calcium carbonate in the relatively warm, carbonate saturated waters (Minc and Albert 1998). On Isle Royale, a stand occurs in saturated peat on a wet depression of a lakeplain at Hidden Lake (C. Reschke pers. comm. 1999).
Geographic Range: This community is typically found on marly coastal sites in northern Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior in the United States, in both northern Michigan and northern Wisconsin, and possibly in Ontario, Canada.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: MI, ON?, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688452
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1G2
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 | A4400 Smooth Sawgrass - Needle Beaksedge - <i>Solidago ohioensis</i> Shore Fen Alliance | A4400 | 2.C.2.Na.2.e |
| Association | CEGL005115 Bluejoint - Little Green Sedge - Smooth Sawgrass - Ontario Lobelia Fen | CEGL005115 | 2.C.2.Na.2.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Calamagrostis canadensis - Carex viridula - Cladium mariscoides - Lobelia kalmii Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Rich Fen Great Lakes Shoreline Subtype]
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Greenall, J. A. 1996. Manitoba''s terrestrial plant communities. MS Report 96-02. Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, Winnipeg.
- Kost, M. A., D. A. Albert, J. G. Cohen, B. S. Slaughter, R. K. Schillo, C. R. Weber, and K. A. Chapman. 2007. Natural communities of Michigan: Classification and description. Report No. 2007-21, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing. 314 pp. [http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/reports/2007-21_Natural_Communites_of_Michigan_Classification_and_Description.pdf]
- Lee, H., W. Bakowsky, J. Riley, J. Bowles, M. Puddister, P. Uhlig, and S. McMurray. 1998. Ecological land classification for southern Ontario: First approximation and its application. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Southcentral Science Section, Science Development and Transfer Branch. SCSS Field Guide FG-02.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Minc, L. D., and D. A. Albert. 1998. Great Lakes coastal wetlands: Abiotic and floristic characterization. Great Lakes Wetlands 9(3):1-15.
- Reschke, Carol. Personal communication. Ecologist, New York Natural Heritage Program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Latham, NY.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1999b. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Isle Royale National Park. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 143 pp.
- WDNR [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. PUB-SS-1131 2015. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison. [http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/Book.html]