Classification of Vegetation Communities of Maryland: First Iteration

V. HERBACEOUS VEGETATION
V.A.5.N.m. Saturated temperate or subpolar grassland
V.A.5.N.m.1. CLADIUM MARISCOIDES SATURATED HERBACEOUS ALLIANCE
Twig-rush Saturated Herbaceous Alliance
 

Concept: This alliance currently includes a variety of palustrine herbaceous vegetation dominated by Cladium mariscoides in combination with other grasses and sedges; shrubs typically account for less than 25% cover in these communities. This alliance contains a diversity of vegetation types, with variable species composition. Associations in this alliance include sea-level fens of the mid-Atlantic coast, high-elevation (4200 feet) fens over mafic geology in the Southern Blue Ridge, communities of floodplains, streams, and stream channels in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, certain Coastal Plain pondshore communities in Delaware, and Coastal Plain poor fens in Rhode Island and New York.

Range: This alliance is found in North Carolina, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, and possibly West Virginia (?).

States/Provinces: CT DE MA MD NC NH? NJ NY RI TN VA

TNC Ecoregions: 48:C, 51:C, 58:C, 59:C, 61:?, 62:C

USFS Ecoregions: 221Ab:CCC, 221Ac:CC?, 221Ad:CCC, 221Ak:CC?, 221Db:C??, 222If:CCC, 232Aa:CCC, 232Ab:CC?, 232Ad:CCC, 232Br:CCC, 232Bx:CCC, 232Bz:CCC, M221Dc:CCC

Federal Lands: NPS (Isle Royale); USFS (Jefferson?, Pisgah?)

Synonymy: IIE1b. Calcareous Fen Complex, in part (Allard 1990); Southern Appalachian Fen (Schafale and Weakley 1990)

References: Allard 1990, Richardson and Gibbons 1993, Schafale and Weakley 1990, Tucker 1967, Weakley and Schafale 1994

Authors: K.D. PATTERSON, RW, East Identifier: A.1447

Concept: This association comprises "sea-level fens" of the central and north Atlantic coast. These are small-patch communities occurring at the edge of salt marshes adjacent to sandy or gravelly slopes where there is acidic, oligotrophic groundwater seepage. Although its association with salt marshes is diagnostic, it is only infrequently influenced by salt or brackish overwash during unusually high tides. The physiognomy is dominated by herbs, occasionally with some scattered shrubs or short trees. The diagnostic species include Cladium mariscoides, Rhynchospora alba, Eleocharis rostellata, Drosera intermedia, and Schoenoplectus pungens (= Scirpus pungens). Other associated species may include Symphyotrichum novi-belgii (= Aster novi-belgii), Carex exilis, Carex hormathodes, Carex leptalea, Eleocharis fallax, Juncus canadensis, Juncus pelocarpus, Lysimachia terrestris, Rosa palustris, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Sanguisorba canadensis, Teucrium canadense, and Schoenoplectus americanus (= Scirpus americanus) and Eriocaulon decangulare in the southern portion of the association range. Woody species occurring at low cover may include Morella pensylvanica (= Myrica pensylvanica), Baccharis halimifolia, Juniperus virginiana, Iva frutescens, and in the southern portion of the range, Morella cerifera (= Myrica cerifera). Substrate is sedgy peat over sand or gravel.

Range: This type occurs from Virginia to Massachusetts, and possibly New Hampshire.

States/Provinces: CT:S?, DE:S1, MA:S1, MD:S?, NH?, NJ:S?, NY:S1, RI:S?, VA:S1

TNC Ecoregions: 58:C, 62:C

USFS Ecoregions: 221Ab:CCC, 221Ac:CC?, 221Ad:CCC, 221Ak:CC?, 232Aa:CCC, 232Ab:CC?, 232Bx:CCC, 232Bz:CCC

Synonymy: Myrica cerifera / Eriocaulon decangulare - Eleocharis rostellata Sparse Shrubland (Grossman et al. 1994)

References: Berdine 1998, Bowman 2000, Breden et al. 2001, Edinger et al. 2002, Fleming 2001, Fleming et al. 2001, Grossman et al. 1994, Ludwig 1995, Metzler and Barrett 2001, Reschke 1990, Swain and Kearsley 2001

Authors: C. Ludwig, mod. S.L. Neid, ECS Confidence: 1 Identifier: CEGL006310 167

- Maryland Vegetation Classification Subset Report V.A. Perennial graminoid vegetation

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