Print Report
A1123 Vaccinium uliginosum - Vaccinium cespitosum Wet Shrubland Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: These wetlands are dominated by the cold-deciduous dwarf-shrub Vaccinium uliginosum or Vaccinium cespitosum along the maritime-influenced coastal and montane areas in the Pacific Northwest.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bog Blueberry - Dwarf Bilberry Wet Shrubland Alliance
Colloquial Name: Pacific Northwest Blueberry Wet Shrubland
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: These wetlands have a moderately dense to dense woody layer dominated by the cold-deciduous dwarf-shrub Vaccinium uliginosum or Vaccinium cespitosum. Other tall shrubs may be present and include Salix farriae, Salix planifolia, or Betula glandulosa. The ground cover is primarily Danthonia intermedia with scattered Calamagrostis canadensis and Achillea millefolium. This alliance occurs in saturated sites in coastal and montane areas in the Pacific Northwest from sea level to 1770 m elevation.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Wet shrublands dominated by Vaccinium uliginosum or Vaccinium cespitosum.
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: Cold-deciduous dwarf-shrub, generally <1 m tall.
Floristics: Stands have a moderately dense to dense woody layer dominated by the cold-deciduous dwarf-shrub Vaccinium uliginosum or Vaccinium cespitosum. Other tall shrubs may be present and include Salix farriae, Salix planifolia, or Betula glandulosa. The ground cover is primarily Danthonia intermedia with scattered Calamagrostis canadensis and Achillea millefolium. Both wet-site species Carex scopulorum var. bracteosa and Carex nigricans and drier-site species Festuca saximontana, Phleum alpinum, or Trisetum spicatum may be present but never abundant. Other shrubs and dwarf-shrubs include Salix geyeriana, Salix hookeriana, Salix lemmonii, Spiraea splendens (= Spiraea densiflora), and Spiraea douglasii. The herbaceous layer is also moderately dense to dense and is dominated by the perennial graminoids Carex aquatilis var. dives or Deschampsia cespitosa. Other common graminoids are Carex obnupta and Agrostis spp. Forb cover is sparse and may include Sanguisorba menziesii, Argentina egedii or Veronica scutellata. Ferns such as Pteridium aquilinum may be present. Moss species such as Sphagnum mendocinum may be present to moderately dense. Scattered Pinus contorta or Picea sitchensis trees (<10% cover) may also be present.
Dynamics: Winter flooding and summer drought are critical for this community. Stands in frost pockets and high-elevation stands have frequent frost and saturated soils that slow tree invasion and establishment (Hemstrom et al. 1987).
Environmental Description: Sites include saturated depressions in deflation plains in coastal dune complexes, on the margins of lakes and streams, in swales, near seeps, and in basins underlain by hardpan (often iron-cemented), which cause a perched water table. These sites are flooded during the winter, then dry out by midsummer, but still have a shallow water table. Winter flooding and summer droughts are critical for this community. Soils are shallow to deep, relatively cold and poorly drained. Soil texture ranges from sand in the dune stands to finer-textured, organic muck. Elevations range from sea level to 1770 m. The climate is maritime-influenced. Stands are never extensive where it occurs, and it was probably always a small and unusual component of the landscape.
Geographic Range: This alliance occurs in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: BC?, CA, OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899079
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
Concept Lineage: A.1123+
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Vaccinium cespitosum (Dwarf bilberry meadows and mats) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [45.405.00]
> Vaccinium uliginosum (Bog blue berry wet meadows) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [45.410.00]
> Vaccinium uliginosum (Bog blue berry wet meadows) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [45.410.00]
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- Seyer, S. C. 1979. Vegetative ecology of a montane mire, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Unpublished thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 87 pp.