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CEGL002751 Calamagrostis scopulorum Seep Hanging Garden
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ditch Reedgrass Seep Hanging Garden
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This wetland seep association usually occurs in alcoves and in horizontal fractures in limestone or sandstone canyon walls in northwestern Colorado and eastern Utah. Many stands are inaccessible, but one documented site is on the bank of an intermittent wash where groundwater is close to the surface. Elevation ranges from 1400 to 1675 m (4600-5500 feet). Soil collects on ledges fed by dripping groundwater and becomes the substrate for this small patch of wetland vegetation. The soils are poorly developed, sandy and moist throughout the growing season. This is a lush herbaceous association dominated by Calamagrostis scopulorum. Other herbaceous species common to this association include Comandra umbellata, Solidago missouriensis, and Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis. Although a shrub layer is lacking, scattered Tamarix ramosissima, Rosa woodsii, Rhus trilobata, and Salix exigua are known to occur with sparse cover within or just below the alcove containing the seep. Typical hanging garden forb species such as Mimulus eastwoodiae, Aquilegia micrantha or Adiantum capillus-veneris are absent or have very low cover.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is part of a complex of herbaceous communities collectively known as "hanging gardens." Few systematic studies of these communities have been completed (e.g., Welsh and Toft 1981, Welsh 1989, Fowler 1995), and even fewer quantitative data are available, partly because stands can be difficult or dangerous to access. The National Park Service is undertaking systematic surveys of vegetation, particularly spring and seep communities, throughout the Colorado Plateau (Evenden pers. comm. 2005). As more data become available, the various hanging garden associations should be revisited. John Spence, botanist at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, is reported to be in the process of publishing a comprehensive study and classification of hanging gardens in the Colorado Plateau (J. Spence pers. comm. 2005).
This association is relatively rare among hanging gardens. It can be distinguished from other hanging garden types by the overwhelming dominance of Calamagrostis scopulorum and a lack of other typical hanging garden species such as Aquilegia micrantha, Adiantum capillus-veneris, or Mimulus eastwoodiae.
This association is relatively rare among hanging gardens. It can be distinguished from other hanging garden types by the overwhelming dominance of Calamagrostis scopulorum and a lack of other typical hanging garden species such as Aquilegia micrantha, Adiantum capillus-veneris, or Mimulus eastwoodiae.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This is a lush herbaceous association dominated by Calamagrostis scopulorum. Other graminoid species common to this association include Andropogon glomeratus, Carex aurea, Carex curatorum, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus), Dichanthelium acuminatum (= Panicum acuminatum), Phragmites australis, and Schizachyrium scoparium. Forbs known to occur from present to abundant include Cirsium rydbergii, Comandra umbellata, Primula specuicola, Solidago velutina, and Solidago missouriensis. Typical hanging garden forb species such as Mimulus eastwoodiae, Aquilegia micrantha, or Adiantum capillus-veneris are absent or have very low cover. Although a shrub layer is lacking, scattered natives such as Mahonia repens, Petrophytum caespitosum, Frangula betulifolia (= Rhamnus betulifolia), Rosa woodsii, Rhus trilobata, Salix exigua, and Yucca angustissima var. toftiae (= Yucca toftiae), as well as the non-native invasive shrub/tree Tamarix ramosissima, are known to occur with sparse cover within or just below the alcove containing the seep.
Dynamics: As with all hanging garden types, this association depends on a steady supply of groundwater in order to persist.
Environmental Description: This wetland seep association usually occurs in alcoves and in horizontal fractures in limestone or sandstone canyon walls in northwestern Colorado and eastern Utah. One site is on the bank of an intermittent wash where groundwater is close to the surface. Elevation ranges from 1400 to 1675 m (4600-5500 feet). Soil collects on ledges fed by dripping groundwater and becomes the substrate for this small patch of wetland vegetation. The soils are poorly developed, sandy and moist throughout the growing season.
Geographic Range: This association has been documented from canyons in northwestern Colorado and eastern Utah.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.770540
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.Nc Southwestern North American Warm Desert Freshwater Marsh & Bosque Division | D032 | 2.C.4.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nc.1 Warm Desert Lowland Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M076 | 2.C.4.Nc.1 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nc.1.a Maidenhair Fern species - Monkeyflower species - Columbine species Colorado Plateau Seep Group | G545 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.a |
| Alliance | A2655 Ditch Reedgrass - Bushy Bluestem Hanging Garden Alliance | A2655 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL002751 Ditch Reedgrass Seep Hanging Garden | CEGL002751 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Calamagrostis scopulorum Hanging Garden Herbaceous Vegetation (Coles et al. 2008a)
- 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.
- Evenden, Angela. Personal communication. Northern Colorado Plateau Network Vegetation Program Manager, Canyon Country Research Learning Center, Moab, UT.
- Fowler, J. F. 1995. Biogeography of hanging gardens on the Colorado Plateau. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. 209 pp plus abstract, appendices.
- Spence, J. Personal communication. Botanist, National Park Service, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Glen Canyon, UT.
- Tendick, A., J. Coles, K. Decker, M. Hall, J. Von Loh, T. Belote, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and A. Evenden. 2012. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Canyonlands National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2012/577. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Tendick, A., J. Spence, M. Reid, K. Shulz, G. Kittel, K. Green, A. Wight, and G. Wakefield. 2017. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCPN/NRR—2017/1500. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 1464 pp.
- Welsh, S. L. 1989. On the distribution of Utah''s hanging gardens. Great Basin Naturalist 49(1):1-30.
- Welsh, S. L., and C. A. Toft. 1981. Biotic communities of hanging gardens in southeastern Utah. National Geographic Society Research Reports 13:663-681.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.