Print Report

CEGL006248 Empetrum nigrum - Gaylussacia dumosa - Rubus chamaemorus / Sphagnum spp. Acidic Peatland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Black Crowberry - Dwarf Huckleberry - Cloudberry / Peatmoss species Acidic Peatland

Colloquial Name: Maritime Crowberry Bog

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This is a maritime dwarf-shrub bog community of the coastal region of northern New England and the adjacent maritime provinces of Canada. It has an ombrotrophic nutrient regime and occurs in both coastal bogs and as thin peat blankets over sloping bedrock (3-10% slope); the two settings may be contiguous. Most known sites are within 15 miles of the ocean. Peat accumulation isolates this community from groundwater influence. Conditions are highly acidic, with pH usually below 5.0. Very low or matted dwarf-shrubs, often less than 20 cm tall, dominate the vegetation; trees and tall shrubs are absent or at most widely scattered. Herbs are likewise sparse. The bryoid layer is essentially continuous and forms the vegetation substrate. Empetrum nigrum and Gaylussacia dumosa, often with scattered Juniperus communis, are the diagnostic shrubs; other bog ericads are often present, such as Chamaedaphne calyculata, Rhododendron canadense, Kalmia angustifolia, Kalmia polifolia, Ledum groenlandicum, and Vaccinium oxycoccos. Rubus chamaemorus is often present. Characteristic herbs include Trichophorum cespitosum, Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum, Drosera rotundifolia, Sarracenia purpurea, Rhynchospora alba, Trientalis borealis, Calopogon tuberosus, and Solidago uliginosa. The bryophyte layer is a carpet of primarily Sphagnum fuscum, with other species including Sphagnum rubellum, Sphagnum affine, Sphagnum flavicomans, Sphagnum magellanicum, and lichens of the genus Cladonia (Cladonia rangiferina, Cladonia arbuscula, and others). The dwarf-shrubs Empetrum nigrum, Gaylussacia dumosa, and Rubus chamaemorus, the sedge Trichophorum cespitosum, and the moss Sphagnum affine differentiate this association from others in the alliance.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: No Data Available

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: Very low or matted dwarf-shrubs, often less than 20 cm tall, dominate the vegetation; trees and tall shrubs are absent or at most widely scattered. Herbs are likewise sparse. The bryoid layer is essentially continuous and forms the vegetation substrate. Empetrum nigrum and Gaylussacia dumosa, often with scattered Juniperus communis, are the diagnostic shrubs; other bog ericads are often present, such as Chamaedaphne calyculata, Rhododendron canadense, Kalmia angustifolia, Kalmia polifolia, Ledum groenlandicum, and Vaccinium oxycoccos. Rubus chamaemorus is often present. Characteristic herbs include Trichophorum cespitosum (= Scirpus cespitosus), Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum, Drosera rotundifolia, Sarracenia purpurea, Rhynchospora alba, Trientalis borealis, Calopogon tuberosus, and Solidago uliginosa. The bryophyte layer is a carpet of primarily Sphagnum fuscum, with other species including Sphagnum rubellum (= Sphagnum capillifolium var. tenellum), Sphagnum affine (= Sphagnum imbricatum), Sphagnum flavicomans, Sphagnum magellanicum, and lichens of the genus Cladonia (Cladonia rangiferina (= Cladina rangiferina), Cladonia arbuscula (= Cladina arbuscula), and others).

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  This is a maritime dwarf-shrub bog community of the coastal region of northern New England and the adjacent maritime provinces of Canada. It has an ombrotrophic nutrient regime, and occurs in both coastal bogs and as thin peat blankets over sloping bedrock (3-10% slope); the two settings may be contiguous. Most known sites are within 15 miles of the ocean. Peat accumulation isolates this community from groundwater influence. Conditions are highly acidic, with pH usually below 5.0.
Geographic Range: This bog community occurs in the coastal region of northern New England and adjacent maritime provinces of Canada.

Nations: CA,US

States/Provinces:  LB?, ME, NB?, NF?, NS?, QC


Confidence Level: Moderate

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G5

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.1 Leatherleaf - Small Cranberry - Few-seed Sedge Bog & Acidic Fen Macrogroup M876 2.C.2.Na.1
Group 2.C.2.Na.1.a Leatherleaf - Few-seed Sedge - Bog Laurel Boreal Bog & Acidic Fen Group G748 2.C.2.Na.1.a
Alliance A3483 Huckleberry species / Tufted Bulrush / Peatmoss species Maritime Acidic Graminoid Bog & Fen Alliance A3483 2.C.2.Na.1.a
Association CEGL006248 Black Crowberry - Dwarf Huckleberry - Cloudberry / Peatmoss species Acidic Peatland CEGL006248 2.C.2.Na.1.a
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Cladonia stellaris - Cladonia rangiferina - Kalmia angustifolia Nodum (Foster and Glaser 1986)
= Empetrum - Sphagnum fuscum (Damman 1977)
= Empetrum - Sphagnum fuscum dwarf-shrub bog (Damman and French 1987)
= Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community (Worley 1980a)
? Gaylussacia dumosa - Empetrum nigrum shrub heath (Anderson and Davis 1997)
= Bog (Thompson 1979)
Concept Author(s): Northern Appalachian Planning Team and L.A. Sneddon

Author of Description: S.C. Gawler

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 01-28-03
  • Anderson, D. S., and R. B. Davis. 1997. The vegetation and its environment in Maine peatlands. Canadian Journal of Botany 75:1785-1805.
  • CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
  • Damman, A. W. H. 1977. Geographical changes in the vegetation patterns of raised bogs in the Bay of Fundy region of Maine and New Brunswick. Vegetatio 35:137-151.
  • Damman, A. W. H., and T. W. French. 1987. The ecology of peat bogs of the glaciated northeastern United States: A community profile. USDI Fish & Wildlife Service Biological Report 85(7.16). 100 pp.
  • Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
  • Foster, D. R., and P. H. Glaser. 1986. The raised bogs of southeastern Labrador, Canada: Classification, distribution, vegetation and recent dynamics. Journal of Ecology 74:47-71.
  • 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.
  • Lubinski, S., K. Hop, and S. Gawler. 2003. Vegetation Mapping Program: Acadia National Park, Maine. Report produced by U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, and Maine Natural Areas Program in conjunction with M. Story (NPS Vegetation Mapping Coordinator) NPS, Natural Resources Information Division, Inventory and Monitoring Program, and K. Brown (USGS Vegetation Mapping Coordinator), USGS, Center for Biological Informatics and NatureServe. [http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/ftp/vegmapping/acad/reports/acadrpt.pdf]
  • Thompson, E. H. 1979. A vegetational history of Great Wass Island, Maine. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Maine chapter. 46 pp.
  • Worley, I. A. 1980a. Botanical and ecological aspects of coastal raised peatlands in Maine and their relevance to the Critical Areas Program of the State Planning Office. Planning report #69, Augusta, ME.