Print Report
CEGL003422 Carex utriculata - Carex aquatilis var. dives - Sanguisorba officinalis / Sphagnum spp. Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northwest Territory Sedge - Sitka Sedge - Great Burnet / Peatmoss species Fen
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs in poor fens (also known as bogs) in the outer coastal lowlands of Washington. It occurs in topographic basins or on flat terraces adjacent to very slow-moving streams. Soils are saturated year-round, seasonally flooded in winter, and composed of sphagnum and fibrous peat. The lush species-poor vegetation is dominated by tall, dense sedges (usually 0.5-1.0 m tall), primarily Carex utriculata, and secondarily and less consistently by Carex aquatilis var. dives. The forb Sanguisorba officinalis is usually present and can be codominant. Sphagnum spp. are abundant (>25% cover). The combination of dominant or codominant tall dense Carex utriculata, abundant Sphagnum, and the presence of Carex aquatilis var. dives or Sanguisorba officinalis is diagnostic.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type may be confused with ~Carex (livida, utriculata) / Sphagnum spp. Fen (CEGL003423)$$. The latter is lower in stature, less dense, and more species-rich than this type, with Carex livida typically present and without Carex aquatilis var. dives. A British Columbia ecologist reports that this type is fairly common in the hypermaritime there, though they have not completed a wetland classification that covers this type yet.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The lush species-poor vegetation is dominated by tall, dense sedges (usually 0.5-1.0 m tall), primarily Carex utriculata, and secondarily and less consistently by Carex aquatilis var. dives. The forb Sanguisorba officinalis is usually present and can be codominant. Sphagnum spp. are abundant (>25% cover). The combination of dominant or codominant tall dense Carex utriculata, abundant Sphagnum, and the presence of Carex aquatilis var. dives or Sanguisorba officinalis is diagnostic.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs in poor fens (also known as bogs) in the outer coastal lowlands of Washington. It occurs in topographic basins or on flat terraces adjacent to very slow-moving streams. Soils are saturated year-round, seasonally flooded in winter, and composed of sphagnum and fibrous peat.
Geographic Range: This association occurs in poor fens (also known as bogs) in the outer coastal lowlands of Washington.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688851
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
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.3 Beach Pine / Bog Labrador-tea / Cusick''s Sedge North Pacific Bog & Fen Macrogroup | M063 | 2.C.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.3.b North Pacific Acidic Open Bog & Fen Group | G284 | 2.C.2.Na.3.b |
| Alliance | A3584 Water Sedge - Peatmoss species - Beaksedge species Acidic Fen Alliance | A3584 | 2.C.2.Na.3.b |
| Association | CEGL003422 Northwest Territory Sedge - Sitka Sedge - Great Burnet / Peatmoss species Fen | CEGL003422 | 2.C.2.Na.3.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Carex rostrata - Carex sitchensis / Sanguisorba officinalis / Sphagnum spp. community type (Kunze 1994) [(p. 68)]
- Kunze, L. M. 1994. Preliminary classification of native, low elevation, freshwater wetland vegetation in western Washington. Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program. 120 pp.
- WNHP [Washington Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data files. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.