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CEGL004290 Polygonum (hydropiperoides, punctatum) - Leersia spp. Shoreline Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Swamp Smartweed, Dotted Smartweed) - Cutgrass species Shoreline Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: Smartweed - Cutgrass Beaver Pond
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association incorporates vegetation of beaver ponds and other semipermanent impoundments in the Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, South Atlantic Coastal Plain, Mississippi River Alluvial Plain, Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain, scattered localities in the Blue Ridge, and possibly other adjacent provinces. Stands of this vegetation are dominated by some combination of Polygonum punctatum, Polygonum hydropiperoides, Leersia lenticularis, Leersia oryzoides, and/or Leersia virginica. Other herbaceous species present include Saururus cernuus, Proserpinaca sp., Bidens aristosa, and Xanthium strumarium. Scattered individuals of Cephalanthus occidentalis and Acer saccharinum may be present. A Piedmont North Carolina example contains Impatiens capensis, Boehmeria cylindrica, and the exotic Murdannia keisak.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is documented from a beaver pond in the floodplain of Owl Creek, Shiloh National Battlefield, Tennessee, on Collins silt loam; it is also documented on Bailey Island in the ACE Basin (C. Aulbach-Smith pers. comm.). It has also been seen in the Bankhead National Forest and Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Alabama, and the Oconee National Forest, Georgia.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands of this vegetation are dominated by some combination of Polygonum punctatum, Polygonum hydropiperoides, Leersia lenticularis, Leersia oryzoides, and/or Leersia virginica. Other herbaceous species which may be present include Polygonum glabrum (= Polygonum densiflorum), Saururus cernuus, Proserpinaca sp., Sparganium americanum, Typha latifolia, Scirpus cyperinus, Lobelia cardinalis, Onoclea sensibilis, Penthorum sedoides, Boehmeria cylindrica, Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis, Bidens aristosa (= Bidens polylepis), and Xanthium strumarium. Scattered individuals of Cephalanthus occidentalis and Acer saccharinum or other woody plants may be present. Examples which have become dried-out (through drought and/or beaver dam failure) may exhibit greater dominance by Leersia rather than Polygonum. The combination of Polygonum punctatum - Leersia virginica was first noted, but the combination of Polygonum hydropiperoides and Leersia lenticularis has also been observed in the Oconee National Forest. At Ocmulgee National Monument near Macon, Georgia, Leersia oryzoides was the sole dominant at the time of sampling.
Dynamics: This community is highly dynamic, affected by changes in water level related to flooding, beaver activity, beaver abandonment, etc. The dominance of Polygonum spp. may vary depending on hydroperiod. Examples which have become dried-out (through drought and/or beaver dam failure) may exhibit greater dominance by Leersia rather than Polygonum. Conversely, deeper water for sustained periods would promote relatively more Polygonum dominance.
Environmental Description: This association incorporates vegetation of beaver ponds and other semipermanent impoundments.
Geographic Range: This association is found in the Coastal Plains, Mississippi River Alluvial Plain, Ridge and Valley, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and other interior provinces from Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama to the Carolinas and north to Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The full extent of its distribution is not known.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, GA, KY?, LA, MS, NC, NJ, PA, SC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688722
Confidence Level: Low
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.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D323 | 2.C.4.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nd.3 Eastern North American Wet Shoreline Vegetation Macrogroup | M880 | 2.C.4.Nd.3 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.3.b Eastern North American Wet Shoreline Vegetation Group | G756 | 2.C.4.Nd.3.b |
| Alliance | A1881 Knotweed species Shoreline Wet Meadow Alliance | A1881 | 2.C.4.Nd.3.b |
| Association | CEGL004290 (Swamp Smartweed, Dotted Smartweed) - Cutgrass species Shoreline Wet Meadow | CEGL004290 | 2.C.4.Nd.3.b |
Concept Lineage: merged
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Polygonum (hydropiperoides, punctatum) - Leersia spp. Herbaceous Vegetation (Gallyoun et al. 1996)
- Aulbach-Smith, C. Personal communication. Botanical Services of SC.
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- Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Sneddon, L., R. E. Zaremba, E. Largay, G. Podniesinski, S. Perles, and J. Thompson. 2008. Vegetation classification and mapping of Morristown National Historical Park, New Jersey. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2008/116. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. 162 pp. [http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/morr/morrrpt.pdf]
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.