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CEGL002241 Equisetum laevigatum Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Smooth Horsetail Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs on the narrow valley floors and low to upper alluvial terraces adjacent to the riparian zone of small perennial streams that are subject to periodic scouring from flooding. This type is restricted to small streams in the Colorado Plateau of Colorado and Utah, as well as within Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in central New Mexico, that are subject to flooding and scouring from flooding. Elevations range from 1603 to 2030 m (5260-6650 feet), slopes do not exceed 8%, and aspect varies. The alluvial soils vary in texture from clay or silt to sand, and the soil surface may be bare if flooding has occurred recently, or covered by a mat of older Equisetum stems. Total vegetation cover in this association may exceed 100%, but it is dominated by the fern ally Equisetum laevigatum with between 20 and 75% cover. Graminoids may provide up to 25% cover and include Agrostis gigantea, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis, or Muhlenbergia asperifolia. Forbs are generally also present and are variable, but usually indicate disturbance. Riparian trees and shrubs, such as Tamarix ramosissima, Populus spp., and Salix spp., may occur at the margins of the association. Deep rhizome growth allows Equisetum plants to survive environmental disturbances such as burial, flooding, fire and drought. As riparian terraces become isolated from flooding and the water table, Equisetum laevigatum will persist thanks to its system of rhizomes, but other herbaceous and woody species will tend to become dominant.
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: This herbaceous association is dominated by the fern ally Equisetum laevigatum with between 20 and 75% cover. Graminoids may provide up to 25% cover and include Agrostis gigantea, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus), or Muhlenbergia asperifolia. Forbs are generally also present and are variable, but usually indicate disturbance and may include Artemisia dracunculus, Cirsium arvense, Conyza canadensis, Cucurbita foetidissima, Grindelia squarrosa, Plantago lanceolata, Tragopogon dubius, and Tragopogon pratensis. Riparian trees and shrubs, such as Tamarix ramosissima, Populus spp., and Salix spp., may occur at the margins of the association.
Dynamics: Rhizomatous clonal growth is a universal feature of the genus Equisetum and is very important in its ability to utilize groundwater and survive disturbance. The rhizomes can penetrate the soil to depths of 4 m (Page 1977). Deep rhizome growth allows Equisetum plants to survive environmental disturbances such as burial, flooding, fire and drought. An extensive rhizome system also gives scouring rushes a distinct advantage over species requiring seed establishment or which have slow-growing rhizomes (Hauke 1993). Fragmentation of rhizomes and stems allows Equisetum to disperse readily in suitable habitats where there is sufficient moisture, allowing Equisetum clones to persist and spread even in the absence of sexual reproduction. As riparian terraces become isolated from flooding and the water table, Equisetum laevigatum will persist thanks to its system of rhizomes, but other herbaceous and woody species will tend to become dominant.
Environmental Description: This association occurs on narrow valley floors and low to upper alluvial terraces adjacent to the riparian zone of small perennial streams that are subject to periodic scouring from flooding. Elevations range from 1603 to 2030 m (5260-6650 feet), slopes do not exceed 8%, and aspect varies. Soils are alluvium derived from shales, sandstones or igneous rocks. The soil surface may be bare if flooding has occurred recently, or covered by a mat of older Equisetum stems.
Geographic Range: This type is restricted to small streams in the Colorado Plateau of Colorado and Utah, as well as within Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in central New Mexico, that are subject to flooding and scouring from flooding.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, NM
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.758104
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.b Sedge species - Reedgrass species Montane Wet Meadow & Marsh Group | G521 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
| Alliance | A3539 Field Horsetail - Scouringrush Horsetail - Variegated Scouring-rush Wet Meadow Alliance | A3539 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
| Association | CEGL002241 Smooth Horsetail Wet Meadow | CEGL002241 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Equisetum laevigatum Herbaceous Vegetation (Von Loh et al. 2007)
- Coles, J., D. Cogan, D. Salas, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, J. Von Loh, and A. Evenden. 2008a. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Dinosaur National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR-2008/112. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 814 pp.
- Hauke, R. L. 1993. Equisetaceae Michaux ex DeCandolle: Horsetail Family. Pages 76-84 in: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, editors. Flora of North America, North of Mexico. Volume 2. Oxford University Press, New York.
- Muldavin, E., Y. Chauvin, A. Kennedy, T. Neville, P. Neville, K. Schulz, and M. Reid. 2012a. Vegetation classification and map: Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SCPN/NRTR--2012/553. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Page, C. N. 1997. The ferns of Britain and Ireland. Second edition. Cambridge University Press.
- Von Loh, J., K. Landgraf, A. Evenden, T. Owens, S. Blauer, and M. Reid. 2007. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Colorado National Monument. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2007/061. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 564 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.