Carex filifolia Herbaceous Alliance
Shorthair sedge turf
Shorthair sedge turf
USDA Ecological Section Map
Summary Information
- Primary Life FormHerb
- Elevation1500-3700 m
- State RarityS4
- Global RarityG4
- DistributionUSA: CA, OR (NatureServe)
- Endemic to CaliforniaNo
- Endemic to California Floristic Province and DesertsNo
- Date Added1995/11/01
Characteristic Species
Carex filifolia is dominant or co-dominant in the herbaceous layer with Achillea millefolium, Antennaria rosea, Calamagrostis muiriana, Cistanthe monosperma, Cistanthe umbellata, Deschampsia cespitosa, Dicentra uniflora, Erigeron algidus, Eriogonum nudum, Juncus mertensianus, Lewisia pygmaea, Lupinus breweri, Oreostemma alpigenum, Penstemon heterodoxus, Potentilla spp., Saxifraga aprica, Solidago multiradiata and Trisetum spicatum.
Vegetation Layers
Herbs < 0.3 m; cover is open to continuous.
Membership Rules
- Carex filifolia ≥ 50% relative cover or conspicuous > 15% absolute cover) if other herbaceous species are present; Calamagrostis muiriana or other short subalpine grasses and sedges are either subdominant or absent (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003b).
Habitats
Slopes, ridges, edges of subalpine meadows and basins. Soils are well drained.
Other Habitat, Alliance and Community Groupings
MCV (1995) | Shorthair sedge series |
NVCS (2009) | Carex filifolia herbaceous alliance |
Calveg | Alpine grasses and forbs, Perennial grasses and forbs |
Holland | Dry montane meadow, Dry subalpine or alpine meadow |
Munz | Subalpine forest |
WHR | Alpine dwarf-shrub, Wet meadow |
CDFW CA Code | 45.140.00 |
National Vegetation Classification Hierarchy
Formation Class | Cryomorphic Shrub and Herb Vegetation (Polar and High Montane Vegetation) |
Formation Subclass | Temperate and Boreal Alpine Vegetation |
Formation | Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow, and Grassland |
Division | Western North America Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow, and Grassland |
Macro Group | Vancouverian Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow, and Grassland |
Group | Californian alpine-subalpine turf |
Remarks
Carex filifolia is a perennial, cool-season, sedge whose stems are no taller than 30 cm. Plants grow in tight clumps that form closed to open turf. Old plants spread outward while dying in the middle, forming rings or miniature terraces on sloping, gravelly terrain. Root systems are laterally extensive. Reproduction is by seed (Hauser 2006b). Current manuals (Ball and Reznicek 2002, Hickman 1993) use the name C. filifolia var. erostrata; var. filifolia grows in the Rocky Mountains. The older taxonomic literature uses the name C. exserta.
Several authors have described the alliance (Benedict 1983, Klikoff 1965, Ratliff 1982, 1985). Stands are extensive in dry, well-drained meadows that intermingle with other meadow and forest alliances at high elevations. Potter (2005) placed mixed stands in a Carex filifolia-Calamagrostis muiriana association. These stands are usually some distance from streams in elevated portions of the meadow complex where soils are seasonally saturated by snowmelt and may experience sheet flow during peak runoff. We placed other stands dominated by C. muiriana in the Calamagrostis muiriana alliance associated with moister substrates and differing in species composition.
Several authors have described the alliance (Benedict 1983, Klikoff 1965, Ratliff 1982, 1985). Stands are extensive in dry, well-drained meadows that intermingle with other meadow and forest alliances at high elevations. Potter (2005) placed mixed stands in a Carex filifolia-Calamagrostis muiriana association. These stands are usually some distance from streams in elevated portions of the meadow complex where soils are seasonally saturated by snowmelt and may experience sheet flow during peak runoff. We placed other stands dominated by C. muiriana in the Calamagrostis muiriana alliance associated with moister substrates and differing in species composition.
Life History Traits of the Principal Species
Carex filifolia | |
---|---|
Life forms | Polycarpic perennial; herb; rhizomatous |
Seed storage | Transient |
Seed longevity | Short |
Mode of dispersal | Gravity; wind |
Germination agents | Stratification—winter |
Mode of sprouting | Underground structures |
Survivability after fire/disturbance | Fire-sensitive to fire-hardy; no/low sprouter to high sprouter |
Disturbance-stimulated flowering | No |
Reproductive range | Long-lived |
Recruitment | Low; episodic |
Regional variation | Low |
Fire Characteristics
Fire little affects this alliance. Carex filifolia deceases in response to frequent fire or heavy grazing. Plants recover quickly from low-intensity, early-season fires followed by precipitation. Seedling establishment may occur readily after fire (Hauser 2006b).
Fire return interval | — |
Seasonality | — |
Size/extent | — |
Complexity | — |
Intensity | — |
Severity | — |
Type | — |
Regional knowledge | — |
Regional Status
The range of Carex filifolia includes the Bear Valley area in the San Bernardino Mountains (M262Bh), Mono (341Dj), Mount Lassen area (M261Dm), Scott Mountains (M261Aj), and Southeastern Great Basin (341Fb).
- Sierra Nevada (M261Ee, Eh, Ek, Em-q, Et-u). Stands are extensive at alpine and subalpine elevations at Rock Creek area in Sequoia National Park (Benedict 1983), Rae Lakes area in King’s Canyon National Park (Burke 1982), Carson Pass (Major and Taylor 1977), Harvey Monroe Hall RNA (Jackson and Bliss 1982, Taylor 1984, see Cheng 2004), Yosemite National Park (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003b) including Gaylord Lakes area (Klikoff 1965), and generally in the section (Potter 2005). Stands in Yosemite and Sequoia national parks often occur adjacent to those of Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana or Pinus albicaulis alliances. Stands of the Calamagrostis muiriana, Ptilagrostis kingii, and Vaccinium cespitosum alliances are frequently found on adjacent, moister sites.
Management Considerations
Recreational pack stock grazing at moderate to high levels can reduce plant cover and productivity while altering species composition in Carex filifolia meadows; recommendations to maintain these meadows include low pack stock use at less than 35% utilization (Cole et al. 2004).
Associations
- Carex filifolia [1], [5]
- Carex filifolia - Calamagrostis muiriana [4]
- Carex filifolia - Cistanthe monosperma [2], [3]
- Carex filifolia - Erigeron algidus [2]
- Carex filifolia - Penstemon heterodoxus [3]
- Carex filifolia - Saxifraga aprica [5]
- Carex filifolia - Trisetum spicatum [3]
References
- [1] Benedict, N.B. 1983
- [2] Burke, M.T. 1982
- [3] Keeler-Wolf, T.;Schindel, M.;San, S.;Moore, P.;Hickson, D. 2003b
- [4] Potter, D.A. 2005
- [5] Taylor, D.W. 1984
- Allen-Diaz, B.H. 1994
- Bennett, P.S. 1965
- Hauser, A.S. 2006b
- Klikoff, L.G. 1965
- Major, J.;Taylor, D.W. 1977
- NPS-SEKI, 2009
- Paysen, T.E.;Derby, J.A.;Black, H.;Bleich, V.C.;Mincks, J.W. 1980
- Ratliff, R.D. 1979
- Ratliff, R.D. 1982
- Ratliff, R.D. 1985