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A4129 Carex interior - Carex pellita Central Plains Graminoid Fen Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: These fens are found in the Central Tallgrass Prairie and Sandhills region of the United States and contain locally distinctive sedge-, fern- and willow-dominated peatlands, including the shrub Salix petiolaris, and sedges Carex interior, Carex pellita, and Carex prairea.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Inland Sedge - Woolly Sedge Central Plains Graminoid Fen Alliance
Colloquial Name: Central Plains Graminoid Fen
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: These fens are found in the Central Tallgrass Prairie and Sandhills region of the United States and contain locally distinctive sedge-, fern- and willow-dominated peatlands. Diagnostic features include the shrub Salix petiolaris, the sedges Carex interior, Carex lacustris, Carex lasiocarpa, Carex pellita, and Carex prairea, the ferns Onoclea sensibilis, Ophioglossum pusillum, and Thelypteris palustris, and diagnostic forbs of Doellingeria umbellata, Menyanthes trifoliata, Pedicularis lanceolata, Symphyotrichum boreale, and Triadenum fraseri. This fen type occurs on mid to lower slopes of hillsides and terraces in ravines or canyons. Soils are deep and consist of peat or muck, sometimes intermixed with sand, overlying an impervious clay layer.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Diagnostic features include the shrub Salix petiolaris, the sedges Carex interior, Carex lacustris, Carex lasiocarpa, Carex pellita, and Carex prairea, the ferns Onoclea sensibilis, Ophioglossum pusillum, and Thelypteris palustris, and diagnostic forbs of Doellingeria umbellata, Menyanthes trifoliata, Pedicularis lanceolata, Symphyotrichum boreale, and Triadenum fraseri.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This alliance contains a set of rare and isolated fens in the central Great Plains. Although lacking many typical diagnostic fen species, the unusual peaty soils and locally distinctive vegetation warrant recognition. It''s possible that the northwestern Great Plains marl fen ~Carex spp. - Triglochin maritima - Eleocharis quinqueflora Alkaline Fen Alliance (A3495)$$ should be merged with this type.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: These are distinctive sedge-, fern- and willow-dominated peatlands.
Floristics: When present, the characteristic shrub is Salix petiolaris. Typical sedges include Carex interior, Carex lacustris, Carex lasiocarpa, Carex pellita, and Carex prairea. Ferns are present and occasionally dominant, and include Onoclea sensibilis, Ophioglossum pusillum, and Thelypteris palustris. Diagnostic forbs include Doellingeria umbellata, Menyanthes trifoliata, Pedicularis lanceolata, Symphyotrichum boreale, and Triadenum fraseri (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This fen type occurs on mid to lower slopes of hillsides and terraces in ravines or canyons. Soils are deep and consist of peat or muck, sometimes intermixed with sand, overlying an impervious clay layer. Peat layers range in depth from about 0.3 to 1.5 m and are constantly saturated by groundwater of pH 6.0-7.5. Most sites are less than 1 acre in size. In the Sandhills region of western Nebraska, fens are typically found at the headwaters of stream valleys or at the upper ends of lakes and marshes; some are as large as 700 acres. Soils are predominately mucky peat consisting primarily of decayed organic matter, though layers of muck and fibrous peat are present. Organic deposits range from 0.3 to >7 m thick and often contain interspersed layers of sand. The groundwater pH of fens ranges from 6.0-6.9. (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010).
Geographic Range: This type is found in the central Great Plains, including the western tallgrass areas of Missouri, west to South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: KS, MO, MT, ND, NE, SD
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.934599
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.2 Temperate to Polar Bog & Fen Formation | F016 | 2.C.2 |
| Division | 2.C.2.Na North American Bog & Fen Division | D029 | 2.C.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.2.Na.2 Shrubby cinquefoil - Woolly-fruit Sedge / Star Campylium Moss Alkaline Fen Macrogroup | M877 | 2.C.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.2.b Shrubby-cinquefoil / Dioecious Sedge - Smooth Sawgrass Alkaline Fen Group | G183 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A4129 Inland Sedge - Woolly Sedge Central Plains Graminoid Fen Alliance | A4129 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL002041 Woolly Sedge - Sedge species - Softstem Bulrush Fen | CEGL002041 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL002268 Sedge species - Seaside Arrow-grass - Few-flower Spikerush Marl Fen | CEGL002268 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL002390 Inland Sedge - Elliptic Spikerush - Eastern Marsh Fern Fen | CEGL002390 | 2.C.2.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Prairie Fen (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010)
> Sandhills Fen (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010)
> Sandhills Fen (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010)
- 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.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B., and G. Steinauer. 2010. Terrestrial ecological systems and natural communities of Nebraska (Version IV - March 9, 2010). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, NE. 228 pp.