Print Report
CEGL006423 Trichophorum cespitosum - Calamagrostis pickeringii Alpine Snowbed
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Tufted Bulrush - Pickering''s Reedgrass Alpine Snowbed
Colloquial Name: Northern Appalachian Alpine Bulrush Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This graminoid-dominated association occurs on wet, sloping brows of alpine or subalpine cliffs in the Northern Appalachians. Calamagrostis pickeringii is the diagnostic and dominant herb, and Trichophorum cespitosum is often codominant. Dwarf-shrubs among the herbs include Vaccinium uliginosum and some typical bog ericads such as Chamaedaphne calyculata, Kalmia polifolia, and Ledum groenlandicum. Associated forbs include Drosera rotundifolia, Gentiana linearis, and Huperzia appalachiana. The vascular plants develop on a base of Sphagnum mosses, including Sphagnum compactum and several unusual species such as Sphagnum lindbergii, Sphagnum tenellum, and Sphagnum pylaesii. The liverwort Scapania nemorea is also characteristic. Occurrences of this association may be short-lived (compared to other alpine vegetation types), as portions may become oversaturated and slide off of the rock substrate; however, the average return interval of this major disturbance factor has been reported to be as long as 500 years. Although the graminoid dominance is characteristic of the association as a whole, it may occur as a mosaic of herb-dominated patches, shrub clusters, bryophyte carpets, and exposed bedrock.
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: Calamagrostis pickeringii is the diagnostic and dominant herb, and Trichophorum cespitosum is often codominant. Dwarf-shrubs among the herbs include Vaccinium uliginosum and some typical bog ericads such as Chamaedaphne calyculata, Kalmia polifolia, and Ledum groenlandicum. Associated forbs include Drosera rotundifolia, Gentiana linearis, and Huperzia appalachiana. The vascular plants develop on a base of Sphagnum mosses, including Sphagnum compactum and several unusual species such as Sphagnum lindbergii, Sphagnum tenellum, and Sphagnum pylaesii. The liverwort Scapania nemorea is also characteristic.
Dynamics: Occurrences of this association may be short-lived (compared to other alpine vegetation types), as portions may become oversaturated and slide off of the rock substrate; however, the average return interval of this major disturbance factor has been reported to be as long as 500 years. Although the graminoid dominance is characteristic of the association as a whole, it may occur as a mosaic of herb-dominated patches, shrub clusters, bryophyte carpets, and exposed bedrock.
Environmental Description: Stands are found on exposed alpine or subalpine slopes (915-1495 m [3000-4900 feet] elevation), generally on cliff brows or other expanses of consolidated rock. Slope ranges from 5-35%. Water comes from runoff from higher elevations as well as local seeps.
Geographic Range: Documented from only a few locations in the Adirondack High Peaks and the Presidential Range of the Northern Appalachians.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NH, NY, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689913
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 4 Polar & High Montane Scrub, Grassland & Barrens Class | C04 | 4 |
| Subclass | 4.B Temperate to Polar Alpine & Tundra Vegetation Subclass | S12 | 4.B |
| Formation | 4.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Alpine Tundra Formation | F037 | 4.B.1 |
| Division | 4.B.1.Na Eastern North American Alpine Tundra Division | D042 | 4.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Na.1 Eastern North American Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M131 | 4.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Na.1.d <i>Vaccinium uliginosum - Diapensia lapponica - Carex bigelowii</i> Temperate Alpine Tundra Group | G909 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Alliance | A3287 Snowbed Willow / Tufted Bulrush - Bigelow''s Sedge Alpine Snowbed Alliance | A3287 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Association | CEGL006423 Tufted Bulrush - Pickering''s Reedgrass Alpine Snowbed | CEGL006423 | 4.B.1.Na.1.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.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Sperduto, D. D., and C. V. Cogbill. 1999. Alpine and subalpine vegetation of the White Mountains, New Hampshire. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory, Concord, NH. 25 pp. plus figures.
- 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.