Print Report
A1424 Carex lachenalii - Carex capillaris - Carex illota Wet Meadow Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance consists of seasonally flooded alpine and subalpine wet meadows dominated by Carex lachenalii, Carex capillaris, and Carex illota. Vegetation types within this alliance range from upper montane to the alpine belts in the mountains. Occurrences are restricted to flooded marsh or lake margins, swamps, wet meadows, around frost boils and on hummocks of the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Two-tipped Sedge - Hairlike Sedge - Sheep Sedge Wet Meadow Alliance
Colloquial Name: Western Sedge Wet Meadow
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: Vegetation of this alliance are alpine and subalpine seasonally flooded wet meadows dominated by Carex lachenalii, Carex capillaris, and/or Carex illota. Other graminoid species present can include Juncus biglumis, Juncus triglumis, and Carex misandra. Forbs, when present, include Gentiana algida, Geum rossii, Lloydia serotina, and Polygonum viviparum. Elevation ranges from 2300-3600 m. Occurrences are restricted to flooded marsh or lake margins, swamps, wet meadows, around frost boils and on hummocks in the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. The sites are typically flat or slightly inclined, mesic to saturated, snow-covered in winter, and cool to cold in the summer. Surface water is present for extended periods during the growing season, but is absent by the end of the growing season in most years. Soils from stands in Colorado are loess, with accumulations of organic matter. The average pH of the surface horizon is 5.2. The pH increases with depth; clay and organic matter, moisture retention capacity and available water decrease sharply with depth.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Alpine wetland stands dominated by Carex lachenalii, Carex capillaris, and/or Carex illota.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The range of this alliance is extended to include the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada, although California does not support all three sedge species.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This alliance is characterized by perennial graminoids that are either densely tufted or cespitose.
Floristics: These alpine wetlands are dominated by Carex lachenalii (= Carex bipartita), Carex capillaris, and Carex illota with at least 60% cover. Other graminoids can include Juncus biglumis, Juncus triglumis, and Carex misandra. The forb stratum, when present, is dominated by Polygonum viviparum. Other forbs can include Geum rossii (= Acomastylis rossii), Lloydia serotina, and Gentiana algida. The moss layer may be present with Cladonia pyxidata, Paraleucobryum enerve, or Tortella tortuosa var. arctica (= Tortella arctica).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Vegetation types within this alliance range from upper montane to the alpine and subnival belts in the mountains. Elevation ranges from 2300 to 3600 m. Occurrences are restricted to flooded marsh or lake margins, swamps, wet meadows, around frost boils and on hummocks. The sites are typically flat or slightly inclined, mesic to saturated, snow-covered in winter, and cool to cold in the summer. Surface water is present for extended periods during the growing season, but is absent by the end of the growing season in most years. Komarkova (1976) reports that soils in Colorado are loess, with accumulations of organic matter. The average pH of the surface horizon is 5.2. The pH increases with depth; clay and organic matter, moisture retention capacity and available water decrease sharply with depth. Information on adjacent vegetation is unavailable.
Geographic Range: This alliance occurs in the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, OR, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899130
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.c White Marsh-marigold - Black Alpine Sedge - Alpine Laurel Subalpine-Alpine Snowbed, Wet Meadow & Dwarf-shrubland Group | G520 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.c |
| Alliance | A1424 Two-tipped Sedge - Hairlike Sedge - Sheep Sedge Wet Meadow Alliance | A1424 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.c |
| Association | CEGL001871 Two-tipped Sedge Wet Meadow | CEGL001871 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.c |
| Association | CEGL001872 Hairlike Sedge - Alpine Bistort Wet Meadow | CEGL001872 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.c |
| Association | CEGL001876 Sheep Sedge Wet Meadow | CEGL001876 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.c |
Concept Lineage: equivalent to A.1424
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Carex spp. Series (Johnston 1987)
- Carsey, K., D. Cooper, K. Decker, D. Culver, and G. Kittel. 2003b. Statewide wetlands classification and characterization: Wetland plant associations of Colorado. Prepared for Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Denver, by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 79 pp. [http://www.cnhp.colostate.edu/documents/2003/wetland_classification_final_report_2003.pdf]
- Carsey, K., G. Kittel, K. Decker, D. J. Cooper, and D. Culver. 2003a. Field guide to the wetland and riparian plant associations of Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins, CO.
- Cronquist, A., A. H. Holmgren, N. H. Holmgren, J. L. Reveal, and P. K. Holmgren. 1977. Intermountain flora: Vascular plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Volume 6: The Monocotyledons. Columbia University Press, New York. 584 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, M. Hall, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, L. Sneddon, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2013-2019b. Screening alliances for induction into the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Part 1 - Alliance concept review. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Hermann, F. J. 1970. Manual of the Carices of the Rocky Mountains and Colorado Basin. Agriculture Handbook No. 374. USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC. 397 pp.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Komarkova, V. 1976. Alpine vegetation of the Indian Peaks Area, Front Range, Colorado Rocky Mountains. Unpublished dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder. 655 pp.
- Komarkova, V. 1986. Habitat types on selected parts of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre national forests. Unpublished final report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. Fort Collins, CO. 270 pp. plus appendices.