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CEGL006427 Calamagrostis canadensis - Doellingeria umbellata - Spartina pectinata Riverscour Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bluejoint - Parasol Whitetop - Prairie Cordgrass Riverscour Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These alluvial grasslands are found along the open shores of larger rivers in the near-boreal region of northeastern North America. The soils are sandy and well-drained, saturated for only brief periods of high water. The substrate may be almost entirely sand or a fairly stable mixture of cobbles and sand. Dense swards are dominated by tall grasses mixed with sedges and forbs. Shrubs may occur as scattered individuals, but rarely exceed the herbaceous cover in height. Bryophytes are sparse or absent. Calamagrostis canadensis is strongly dominant. Associates, at much lower abundance, typically include Doellingeria umbellata, Thalictrum pubescens, Spartina pectinata, Solidago canadensis, and Carex stricta in its non-tussock form. Alnus incana, Alnus viridis ssp. crispa, Salix eriocephala, Salix myricoides, a variety of other Salix spp., and Myrica gale are typical shrubs. Where the substrate is more cobbly and the vegetation somewhat more open, lower-growing species such as Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Triantha glutinosa, and Prenanthes racemosa may be found. The herbaceous dominance of this vegetation is maintained by annual flooding and ice-scour, typically in a strong pulse at snowmelt. This association is distinguished from others dominated by Calamagrostis canadensis by its setting along larger rivers and by its well-drained sandy soils without an accumulation of organic matter.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type is also related to another Northern Appalachians type, ~Prunus pumila var. depressa / Deschampsia cespitosa Riverscour Wet Meadow (CEGL006437)$$. That association is less uniformly graminoid-dominated and is more open in nature, developing on cobbly river beaches at a slightly lower elevation relative to the river bed. Along a particular stretch of river, the two types may grade from one into the other.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Dense swards are dominated by tall grasses mixed with sedges and forbs. Shrubs may occur as scattered individuals, but rarely exceed the herbaceous cover in height. Bryophytes are sparse or absent. Calamagrostis canadensis is strongly dominant. Associates, at much lower abundance, typically include Doellingeria umbellata, Thalictrum pubescens, Spartina pectinata, Solidago canadensis, and Carex stricta in its non-tussock form. Alnus incana, Alnus viridis ssp. crispa, Salix eriocephala, Salix myricoides, a variety of other Salix spp., and Myrica gale are typical shrubs. Where the substrate is more cobbly and the vegetation somewhat more open, lower-growing species such as Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Triantha glutinosa, and Prenanthes racemosa may be found.
Dynamics: The herbaceous dominance of this vegetation is maintained by annual flooding and ice-scour, typically in a strong pulse at snowmelt.
Environmental Description: Restricted to flat, broad shores of northeastern rivers where flashy spring flooding and ice-scour maintain open conditions. Soils are sandy; substrate may be almost entirely sand or a fairly stable mixture of cobbles and sand.
Geographic Range: Described from large rivers in northern Maine; presumably along ecologically similar Canadian rivers.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: ME, NH, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688799
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.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.4 Eastern North American Riverscour Vegetation Macrogroup | M881 | 2.C.4.Nd.4 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.4.d Gray Alder / <i>Spartina pectinata - Deschampsia cespitosa</i> Floodplain Vegetation | G925 | 2.C.4.Nd.4.d |
| Alliance | A3827 <i>Andropogon gerardii - Spartina pectinata - Apocynum cannabinum</i> Riverscour Alliance | A3827 | 2.C.4.Nd.4.d |
| Association | CEGL006427 Bluejoint - Parasol Whitetop - Prairie Cordgrass Riverscour Wet Meadow | CEGL006427 | 2.C.4.Nd.4.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- 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.
- 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.