Title: Classification of Vegetation Communities of Maryland

Classification of Vegetation Communities of Maryland: First Iteration

A Subset of the International Classification of Ecological
Communities: Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States
March 2004

VII. SPARSE VEGETATION
VII.C.2.N.d. Tidal sand flats
VII.C.2.N.d.3. SESUVIUM SPP. - ATRIPLEX SPP. - SUAEDA SPP. TIDAL SPARSELY VEGETATED ALLIANCE
Sea-purslane species - Saltbush species - Sea-blite species Tidal Sparsely Vegetated Alliance


Concept: This alliance tends to occur on the backside of the ends of barrier islands and is irregularly flooded but does not accumulate salt like Salicornia or Distichlis (maybe should be in separate formation). Physiognomy tends to be of scattered mound-like clumps of vegetation (mostly Sesuvium portulacastrum) in a wet sand flat.

Comments: This alliance will need revision, and possibly splitting, when more information is available.

Range: This alliance is found in North Carolina, South Carolina, and others to the south.

States/Provinces: AL FL? GA? MD MS? NC SC VA

TNC Ecoregions: 53:C, 56:P, 57:C, 58:C

USFS Ecoregions: 232Ci:CCC, 232Dd:CCC

Federal Lands: NPS (Assateague Island); USFWS (Bon Secour)

Synonymy: Upper Beach, in part (Schafale and Weakley 1990); Salt Flat, in part (Nelson 1986)

References: Nelson 1986, Schafale and Weakley 1990

Authors: A.S. WEAKLEY, JT, Southeast Identifier: A.1868

SESUVIUM PORTULACASTRUM - ATRIPLEX SPP. - SUAEDA SPP. SPARSE VEGETATION
Shoreline Sea-purslane - Saltbush species - Sea-blite species Sparse Vegetation
Coastal Bay Shore / Succulent Beach                                                          G3 (97-08-11)
Ecological Group (SCS;MCS):     Atlantic and Gulf Coast Beach Vegetation (230-10; n/a)

Concept: This association represents irregularly flooded beach vegetation along the Atlantic and northern Gulf of Mexico coasts. Examples tend to occur on the back side of the ends of barrier islands; where they are only irregularly flooded. In contrast to Salicornia- or Distichlis-dominated areas they apparently accumulate less salt. Its physiognomy tends to be of scattered mound-like clumps of vegetation (mostly Sesuvium portulacastrum) in a wet sand flat.

Range: This community occurs along the Atlantic Ocean and portions of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

States/Provinces: AL:S?, FL?, GA?, MD:S?, MS?, NC:S3, SC:S?, VA:S?

TNC Ecoregions: 53:C, 56:P, 57:C, 58:C

USFS Ecoregions: 232Ci:CCC, 232Dd:CCC

Federal Lands: NPS (Assateague Island); USFWS (Bon Secour)

References: Fleming et al. 2001, Lea 2002b, Nelson 1986, Schafale and Weakley 1990

Authors: SCS Confidence: 2 Identifier: CEGL004406

- Maryland Vegetation Classification Subset Report VII. Sparse Vegetation
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