Print Report
CEGL002268 Carex spp. - Triglochin maritima - Eleocharis quinqueflora Marl Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sedge species - Seaside Arrow-grass - Few-flower Spikerush Marl Fen
Colloquial Name: Great Plains Marl Fen
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community type is found in the northeastern and north-central Great Plains. This community is found in localized areas where mineral-rich groundwater flow emerges at the ground''s surface. These areas remain saturated throughout the growing season, permitting the development of organic peat. These communities may have small pools which have precipitates of calcium carbonate and other minerals. These pools are often surrounded by fine-textured, short-statured vegetation such as Eleocharis quinqueflora, Rhynchospora capillacea, Lobelia kalmii, and Parnassia palustris. There are also areas of taller vegetation such as Carex prairea, Schoenoplectus pungens, and Carex aquatilis.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: In South Dakota neither the Carex spp. nor Triglochin maritima may be characteristic. Type concept is restricted to regions west of the tallgrass prairie ecoregion (Bailey''s Province 251), in which ~Carex prairea - Schoenoplectus pungens - Rhynchospora capillacea Fen (CEGL002267)$$ is used.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is characterized by fine-textured, short-statured vegetation such as Eleocharis quinqueflora (= Eleocharis pauciflora), Rhynchospora capillacea, Lobelia kalmii, and Parnassia glauca (Leoschke 1997). Algae such as Chara spp. and mosses such as Drepanocladus spp. may be associated with open marl ponds. There are also areas of taller vegetation, such as Carex prairea, Schoenoplectus pungens (= Scirpus pungens), and Carex aquatilis, associated with this community (NDNHP 1997).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is found where mineral-rich groundwater flow emerges from porous, glacial till. In central North Dakota, these communities are often found on slopes bordering wetlands, and may be found along river valley slopes (Godfread 1976). These wetland areas remain saturated throughout the growing season, permitting the development of organic peat. These communities are marked by shallow, interconnected pools lined with marl, a mix of calcium carbonate, organic matter, and other minerals (Duxbury 1987).
Geographic Range: This community type is found in seepage areas in the mixedgrass prairie regions of the northeastern and north-central Great Plains, particularly in the western Dakotas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, ND, SD
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688770
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1?
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.b Shrubby-cinquefoil / Dioecious Sedge - Smooth Sawgrass Alkaline Fen Group | G183 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A4129 Inland Sedge - Woolly Sedge Central Plains Graminoid Fen Alliance | A4129 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL002268 Sedge species - Seaside Arrow-grass - Few-flower Spikerush Marl Fen | CEGL002268 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Carex spp. - Triglochin maritima - Eleocharis quinqueflora Marl Fen Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
< Class VII-fen ponds (Stewart and Kantrud 1971) [Stewart and Kantrud appear to include both rich fens and calcareous fens within their classification.]
< Class VII-fen ponds (Stewart and Kantrud 1971) [Stewart and Kantrud appear to include both rich fens and calcareous fens within their classification.]
- Duxbury, A. 1987. Fens: Our glacial relicts. North Dakota Outdoors. June 1987. North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Bismarck, ND.
- 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.).
- Godfread, C. 1994. The vegetation of the Little Missouri Badlands of North Dakota. Pages 17-24 in: Proceedings of the Leafy Spurge Strategic Planning Workshop, March 29-30, Dickinson, ND.
- Godfread, C. S. 1976. Vascular flora of Barnes and Stutsman counties, North Dakota. Ph.D. thesis, North Dakota State University, Fargo. 225 pp.
- Leoschke, M. J. 1997. The Prairie Coteau natural areas inventory: Day, Marshall, and Roberts counties, South Dakota. Unpublished report to The Nature Conservancy. Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- NDNHI [North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory]. 1997. Unpublished data and field forms. North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory, North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, Bismarck, ND.
- NDNHI [North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory]. 2018. Unpublished data. Vegetation classification of North Dakota. North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory, North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department, Bismarck.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Stewart, R. E., and H. A. Kantrud. 1971. Classification of natural ponds and lakes in the glaciated prairie region. USDI Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Resources, Publication 92. Washington, DC. 77 pp.
- Stewart, R. E., and H. A. Kantrud. 1972. Vegetation of prairie potholes, North Dakota, in relation to quality of water and other environmental factors. USDI Geologic Survey Professional Paper 585-d. 36 pp.
- Thompson, C. A. 1990. Iowa''s peatlands. Iowa Geology 15:18-21.