Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Chokecherry - Mountain Maple - Red Currant / Purple-stem Angelica - Common Cow-parsnip Seepage Shrubland

Colloquial Name: Northern Appalachian High-Elevation Seepage Shrubland

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: These shrubby to herbaceous seepage swamps are currently known only from high elevations (>915 m [3000 feet]) in the northern Appalachian Mountains of Vermont, possibly New Hampshire and Maine. More specifically it occurs in the Coolidge Range of the Green Mountains in central Vermont. They occupy small openings ranging from several hundred square meters to several hectares on moderate to somewhat steep slopes within a matrix of Abies balsamea-dominated forest, i.e., ~Abies balsamea - (Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia) Forest (CEGL006112)$$. They are most likely maintained by groundwater seepage. The ground surface is mostly mineral soil, with little to no peat accumulation. The shrub- and herb-dominance and relatively high species richness contrast with the surrounding conifer-dominated forest. Many species are nutrient-demanding and are unusual at high elevations. The shrub layer is somewhat open to relatively dense and up to 5 m in height. Prunus virginiana, Acer spicatum, and Sambucus racemosa are relatively constant to codominant medium to tall shrubs. Cornus sericea is important in one sampled plot. Ribes triste is a relatively constant short shrub. Other shrubs may include Viburnum opulus var. americanum and Ribes lacustre, along with saplings of upland species which are common in the surrounding forest, such as Abies balsamea and Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia. The herb layer is moderately dense to dense under the shrubs or in openings. Angelica atropurpurea, Heracleum maximum, Hydrophyllum virginianum, Impatiens capensis, Thalictrum pubescens, Tiarella cordifolia, and Veratrum viride are constant to codominant herbs. Relatively constant herbs present at lower cover include Laportea canadensis, Solidago macrophylla, Symphyotrichum puniceum, Dryopteris campyloptera, Milium effusum, Rubus pubescens, Trillium erectum, Actaea pachypoda, Carex leptonervia, Dicentra cucullaria, Erythronium americanum, and Phegopteris connectilis. In addition to these species, Cornus amomum, Amelanchier bartramiana, Sorbus americana, Sorbus decora, Chamerion angustifolium, Platanthera dilatata, Rubus idaeus, and Saxifraga pensylvanica are characteristic of the largest known stand. Some of these seeps are enhanced by natural disturbance (blowdowns) and others by timber harvest.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: From their unusual composition and setting, with no other similar types described in the USNVC, these stands seem to represent a distinct community type that seems not closely related to any previously recognized. Within this small range, it is an easily recognized, repeating, and very distinctive assemblage. Other stands in the Coolidge Range should be plot-sampled and described, more stands should be sought (using remote sensing, as needed), and similar vegetation might be sought elsewhere in the Green Mountains or in the Taconics or Berkshires, where nutrient-rich substrates occur at higher elevations. The current alliance assignment is a rather poor fit, but is probably the closest that can accommodate this vegetation at present. Brett Engstrom (pers. comm. 2012) has seen these in the northern Green Mountains, higher elevations in northeast Vermont, and above the 45th parallel in New Hampshire.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available