Print Report

CEGL001234 Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis Wet Shrubland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Wolf''s Willow / Water Sedge Wet Shrubland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This is a short-statured wetland shrubland, generally never exceeding 1.2 m (4 feet) in height. It occurs in Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado, in very wet valley bottoms of low-gradient streams, and is found on stream benches, terraces, toeslopes and floodplains. Salix wolfii is the dominant shrub, forming a continuous to patchy short-shrub layer. Other short-statured shrubs often present are Betula glandulosa, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, and Salix planifolia. Taller shrubs may be scattered about but are never as abundant as Salix wolfii. Tall-shrub species include Salix boothii, Salix geyeriana, or Salix monticola. The herbaceous layer is dense, dominated by Carex aquatilis. Other graminoids are often part of this layer and include Carex utriculata, Carex microptera, other wet sedges, and Deschampsia cespitosa. Forbs can be sparse to very dense and include a variety of species such as Caltha leptosepala, Ligusticum tenuifolium, Senecio integerrimus, Geum macrophyllum, Fragaria virginiana, Swertia perennis, and Pedicularis groenlandica.

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: Salix wolfii is the dominant shrub, forming a continuous to patchy short-shrub layer. Other short-statured shrubs often present are Betula glandulosa, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), and Salix planifolia. Taller shrubs may be scattered about but are never as abundant as Salix wolfii. Tall-shrub species include Salix boothii, Salix geyeriana, or Salix monticola. The herbaceous layer is dense, dominated by Carex aquatilis. Other graminoids are often part of this layer and include Carex utriculata, Carex microptera, Carex praegracilis, Carex nebrascensis, Carex haydeniana, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus), and Deschampsia cespitosa. Forbs can be sparse to very dense and include a variety of species such as Caltha leptosepala, Ligusticum tenuifolium, Senecio integerrimus, Geum macrophyllum, Fragaria virginiana, Swertia perennis, and Pedicularis groenlandica.

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  This association is located in the upper montane and subalpine zones of montane valleys at elevations of 1707 to 3474 m (5600-11,400 feet). It occurs on valley bottoms on stream terraces, benches, toeslopes, valley edges and rarely stream edges. Nearly always in broad valleys, it occasionally occupies narrow valley bottoms. Soils are saturated throughout the growing season, generally organic but can have mineral layers as well. Mineral soil textures are usually heavy silty clay loam to sandy clay loam. Slopes are gentle (0-20%).
Geographic Range: This association is known from throughout the range of Salix wolfii, namely Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  CO, ID, MT, UT, WY


Confidence Level: Moderate

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.Nb Western North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division D031 2.C.4.Nb
Macrogroup 2.C.4.Nb.5 Sitka Alder - Booth''s Willow / Northwest Territory Sedge Montane Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup M893 2.C.4.Nb.5
Group 2.C.4.Nb.5.d Willow species - Alder species - Water Birch Riparian & Seep Shrubland Group G527 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Alliance A3770 Wolf''s Willow - Short-fruit Willow - Resin Birch Wet Shrubland Alliance A3770 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Association CEGL001234 Wolf''s Willow / Water Sedge Wet Shrubland CEGL001234 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Salix wolfii - Betula glandulosa / Carex rostrata - Carex aquatilis Community Type (Mutz and Queiroz 1983) [(p.54) 3 of 5 plots match NVC Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis type.]
= Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis Community Type (Youngblood et al. 1985a)
= Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis Community Type (Padgett et al. 1989)
< Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis Community Type (Walford et al. 2001) [3 of 5 stands can be considered SAWO/CAAQ.]
< Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis Habitat Type (Hansen et al. 1995) [Includes stands with understories dominated by Carex utriculata or Carex microptera.]
= Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis Habitat Type (Mattson 1984) [Mentions three phases, of which the Carex aquatilis phase presumably (there is no description of the phases) matches the NVC association.]
= Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
< Salix wolfii / Swertia perennis Community Type (Norton et al. 1981) ["Carex rostrata and/or Carex aquatilis are always present and may dominate the herbaceous stratum."]
< Salix wolfii / Swertia perennis Community Type (Tuhy and Jensen 1982) [(p.70, 165) Many stands closely match the NVC Salix wolfii / Carex aquatilis type.]
= Salix wolfii/Carex aquatilis (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Wolf''s willow/aquatic sedge (Salix wolfii/Carex aquatilis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1997a)
Concept Author(s): Western Ecology Group

Author of Description: G. Kittel

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 07-27-05
  • Baker, W. L. 1986a. Riparian vegetation of the montane and subalpine zones in west-central and southwestern Colorado: Final report prepared for The Nature Conservancy and Colorado Natural Areas Program, Boulder.
  • Baker, W. L. 1989b. Classification of the riparian vegetation of the montane and subalpine zones in western Colorado. Great Basin Naturalist 49(2):214-228.
  • Bourgeron, P. S., and L. D. Engelking, editors. 1994. A preliminary vegetation classification of the western United States. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Western Heritage Task Force, Boulder, CO. 175 pp. plus appendix.
  • CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
  • Carsey, K., G. Kittel, K. Decker, D. J. Cooper, and D. Culver. 2003a. Field guide to the wetland and riparian plant associations of Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins, CO.
  • Cogan, D., K. Varga, and G. Kittel. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Final Project Report 2002-2005 Vegetation Mapping Project. Technical Memorandum 8260-06-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 87 pp. plus Appendixes A-F.
  • Hansen, P. L., R. D. Pfister, K. Boggs, B. J. Cook, J. Joy, and D. K. Hinckley. 1995. Classification and management of Montana''s riparian and wetland sites. Miscellaneous Publication No. 54. Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana. 646 pp. plus posters.
  • Hansen, P., K. Boggs, and R. Pfister. 1991. Classification and management of riparian and wetland sites in Montana. Unpublished draft version prepared for Montana Riparian Association, Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula. 478 pp.
  • IDCDC [Idaho Conservation Data Center]. 2005. Wetland and riparian plant associations in Idaho. Idaho Conservation Data Center, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise. [http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/tech/CDC/ecology/wetland_riparian_assoc.cfm] (accessed 14 June 2005).
  • Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
  • Jones, G., and S. Ogle. 2000. Characterization abstracts for vegetation types on the Bighorn, Medicine Bow, and Shoshone national forests. Prepared for USDA Forest Service, Region 2 by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming.
  • Kettler, S., and A. McMullen. 1996. Routt National Forest riparian vegetation classification. Report prepared for Routt National Forest by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
  • Kittel, G. M., and N. D. Lederer. 1993. A preliminary classification of the riparian vegetation of the Yampa and San Miguel/Dolores river basins. Unpublished report prepared for Colorado Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency by The Nature Conservancy, Colorado Field Office, Boulder.
  • Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, M. Damm, R. Rondeau, S. Kettler, A. McMullen, and J. Sanderson. 1999b. A classification of riparian and wetland plant associations of Colorado: A user''s guide to the classification project. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO. 70 pp. plus appendices.
  • Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, and M. Damm. 1997a. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the South Platte Basin (and part of Republican River Basin), Colorado. Submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII. Prepared by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
  • Kittel, G., R. Rondeau, N. Lederer, and D. Randolph. 1994. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the White and Colorado River basins, Colorado. Final report submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Boulder. 166 pp.
  • Kittel, G., R. Rondeau, and A. McMullen. 1996. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the Lower South Platte and parts of the Upper Arkansas River basins, Colorado. Submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII. Prepared by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins. 243 pp.
  • Kittel, G., R. Rondeau, and S. Kettler. 1995. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the Gunnison River Basin, Colorado. Submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency. Prepared by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins. 114 pp.
  • MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
  • Mattson, D. J. 1984. Classification and environmental relationships of wetland vegetation in central Yellowstone National Park. Unpublished thesis, University of Idaho, Moscow. 409 pp.
  • Mutz, K. M., and J. Queiroz. 1983. Riparian community classification for the Centennial Mountains and South Fork Salmon River, Idaho. Unpublished report prepared for USDA Forest Service Intermountain Region under contract 53-84M8-2-0048 by Meiiji Resource Consultants, Layton, UT. 168 pp.
  • Norton, B. E., J. Tuhy, and S. Jensen. 1981. Riparian community classification for the Grey''s River, Wyoming. Unpublished final report prepared by Department of Range Science, Utah State University, Logan for USDA Forest Service, Region 4, Ogden, UT. 188 pp.
  • Padgett, W. G., A. P. Youngblood, and A. H. Winward. 1988b. Riparian community type classification of Utah. Publication R4-ECOL-88-01. USDA Forest Service, Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.
  • Padgett, W. G., A. P. Youngblood, and A. H. Winward. 1989. Riparian community type classification of Utah and southeastern Idaho. Research Paper R4-ECOL-89-0. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.
  • Tuhy, J. S., and S. Jensen. 1982. Riparian classification for the Upper Salmon and Middle Fork Salmon River drainages, Idaho. Unpublished report prepared for the USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region by White Horse Associates, Smithfield, UT. 183 pp.
  • WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
  • Walford, G., G. Jones, W. Fertig, S. Mellman-Brown, and K. Houston. 2001. Riparian and wetland plant community types of the Shoshone National Forest. General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-85. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO. 122 pp.
  • Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
  • Youngblood, A. P., W. G. Padgett, and A. H. Winward. 1985a. Riparian community type classification of eastern Idaho-western Wyoming. R4-Ecol-85-01. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT. 78 pp.
  • Youngblood, A. P., W. G. Padgett, and A. H. Winward. 1985b. Riparian community type classification of northern Utah and adjacent Idaho. Unpublished report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT. 104 pp.