Print Report

CEGL002496 Carex lasiocarpa - Trichophorum cespitosum - Rhynchospora capillacea / Andromeda polifolia Fen

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Woolly-fruit Sedge - Tufted Bulrush - Needle Beaksedge / Bog-rosemary Fen

Colloquial Name: Boreal Extremely Rich Seepage Fen

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This extremely rich seepage fen is found in northern Minnesota and adjacent boreal regions in Canada. Stands occur on shallow or deep peaty soils in areas of calcareous discharge. The surface water may be circumneutral (pH 6.8-8.0), with high concentrations of dissolved salts that often form a marl precipitate. The vegetation is dominated by open sedge, rush, and moss species. The dominant graminoid species include Carex lasiocarpa, Carex interior, Carex limosa, Carex livida, Trichophorum alpinum, Muhlenbergia glomerata, Rhynchospora capillacea, and Trichophorum cespitosum. Local dominants may include Carex exilis and Cladium mariscoides. Common herbs include Equisetum fluviatile, Galium labradoricum, Menyanthes trifoliata, Sarracenia purpurea, Triglochin maritima, Triantha glutinosa, and Utricularia intermedia. Mosses include Campylium stellatum, Limprichtia revolvens, Tomentypnum nitens, and Scorpidium scorpioides. Shrub associates, though never dominant, include the dwarf-shrubs Andromeda polifolia and Vaccinium oxycoccos, and taller shrubs or scrubs such as Betula pumila, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Larix laricina, Lonicera villosa, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Picea mariana, Rhamnus alnifolia, and Rubus arcticus ssp. acaulis.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: A related Great Lakes rich shore fen type ~Calamagrostis canadensis - Carex viridula - Cladium mariscoides - Lobelia kalmii Fen (CEGL005115)$$ may overlap with this type. A related type that is quite nutrient-rich but not found on discharge areas is the Boreal Sedge Rich Fen, ~Carex lasiocarpa - Carex buxbaumii - Trichophorum cespitosum Boreal Fen (CEGL002500)$$. The species in the type name should perhaps be changed from Trichophorum cespitosum to Scirpus hudsonianus, which now equals Trichophorum alpinum (Kartesz 1999).

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

Floristics: The vegetation is dominated by open sedge, rush, and moss species. The dominant graminoid species include Carex lasiocarpa, Carex interior, Carex limosa, Carex livida, Trichophorum alpinum (= Scirpus hudsonianus), Muhlenbergia glomerata, Rhynchospora capillacea, and Trichophorum cespitosum (= Scirpus cespitosus). Local dominants may include Carex exilis and Cladium mariscoides. Common herbs include Equisetum fluviatile, Galium labradoricum, Menyanthes trifoliata, Sarracenia purpurea, Triglochin maritima, Triantha glutinosa (= Tofieldia glutinosa), and Utricularia intermedia. Mosses include Campylium stellatum, Limprichtia revolvens (= Drepanocladus revolvens), Tomentypnum nitens, and Scorpidium scorpioides. Shrub associates, though never dominant, include the dwarf-shrubs Andromeda polifolia and Vaccinium oxycoccos, and taller shrubs or scrubs such as Betula pumila, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Larix laricina, Lonicera villosa, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Picea mariana, Rhamnus alnifolia, and Rubus arcticus ssp. acaulis (= Rubus acaulis) (MNNHP 1993).

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  Stands occur on shallow or deep peaty soils in areas of calcareous discharge. The surface water may be circumneutral (pH 6.8-8.0), with high concentrations of dissolved salts (typically calcium, but also magnesium) that often form a marl precipitate. The discharge water is low in oxygen, which is likely important in inhibiting dense vegetation growth and favoring heliophytic vascular and moss species (MNNHP 1993, Harris et al. 1996).
Geographic Range: This calcareous seepage fen is found in northern Minnesota and adjacent boreal regions in Canada, and possibly elsewhere in the northern Great Lakes region, ranging from Minnesota to Ontario and Manitoba, and probably adjacent areas.

Nations: CA,US

States/Provinces:  MB, MI, MN, ON, QC?


Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2Q

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.e Shrubby-cinquefoil - Woolly-fruit Sedge Eastern Boreal Alkaline Fen Group G804 2.C.2.Na.2.e
Alliance A4441 Bog Birch / <i>Carex lasiocarpa - Carex flava</i> Alkaline Fen Alliance A4441 2.C.2.Na.2.e
Association CEGL002496 Woolly-fruit Sedge - Tufted Bulrush - Needle Beaksedge / Bog-rosemary Fen CEGL002496 2.C.2.Na.2.e
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Carex lasiocarpa - Trichophorum caespitosum - Rhynchospora capillacea / Andromeda polifolia Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Calcareous Seepage Fen Boreal Subtype (MNNHP 1993)
= Spring-fen channels (Glaser 1992b)
Concept Author(s): D. Faber-Langendoen (2001)

Author of Description: D. Faber-Langendoen

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 12-19-98
  • CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
  • 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.).
  • Glaser, P. H. 1992b. Vegetation and water chemistry. Pages 15-26 in: H. E. Wright, Jr., B. A. Coffin, and N. E. Aaseng, editors. The patterned peatlands of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Greenall, J. A. 1996. Manitoba''s terrestrial plant communities. MS Report 96-02. Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, Winnipeg.
  • Harris, A. G., S. C. McMurray, P. W. C. Uhlig, J. K. Jeglum, R. F. Foster, and G. D. Racey. 1996. Field guide to the wetland ecosystem classification for northwestern Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Northwest Science and Technology, Thunder Bay, Ontario. Field guide FG-01. 74 pp. plus appendix.
  • Kartesz, J. T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC.
  • Kost, M. A., D. A. Albert, J. G. Cohen, B. S. Slaughter, R. K. Schillo, C. R. Weber, and K. A. Chapman. 2007. Natural communities of Michigan: Classification and description. Report No. 2007-21, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing. 314 pp. [http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/reports/2007-21_Natural_Communites_of_Michigan_Classification_and_Description.pdf]
  • MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
  • Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003-2005a. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota. Three volumes: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003), The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005c), The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces (2005b). Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
  • Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province. Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
  • ONHIC [Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Unpublished data. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, Canada.
  • TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1999b. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Isle Royale National Park. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 143 pp.
  • WDNR [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. PUB-SS-1131 2015. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison. [http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/Book.html]