Carex scopulorum Herbaceous Alliance
Sierra alpine sedge turf
Sierra alpine sedge turf
USDA Ecological Section Map
Summary Information
- Primary Life FormHerb
- Elevation1200-3400 m
- State RarityS3
- Global RarityG4
- DistributionCAN: BC. USA: CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY (NatureServe)
- Endemic to CaliforniaNo
- Endemic to California Floristic Province and DesertsNo
- Date Added2009/09/01
Characteristic Species
Carex scopulorum is dominant or co-dominant in the herbaceous layer with Allium validum, Carex heteroneura, Carex nebrascensis, Carex simulata, Carex subnigricans, Carex utriculata, Carex vesicaria, Deschampsia cespitosa, Dodecatheon alpinum, Eleocharis quinqueflora, Eriophorum crinigerum, Mimulus primuloides, Oreostemma alpigenum, Pedicularis groenlandica, Phleum alpinum and Poa cusickii. Emergent shrubs may be present at low cover, including Kalmia microphylla, Salix eastwoodiae or Salix orestera.
Vegetation Layers
Herbs < 40 cm; cover is continuous. A moss layer may be well developed.
Membership Rules
- Carex scopulorum > 5% absolute cover in herbaceous layer; if C. utriculata or C. vesicaria present, C. scopulorum > 50% relative cover (Potter 2005).
Habitats
Margins of channels, lakes, ponds, overflow areas, wet meadows. Soils have high organic material content that may form hummocks. The USFWS Wetland Inventory (1996 national list) recognizes Carex scopulorum as a FACW plant.
Other Habitat, Alliance and Community Groupings
MCV (1995) | Sedge series, Rocky Mountain sedge series |
NVCS (2009) | Carex scopulorum seasonally flooded herbaceous alliance |
Calveg | Wet grasses and forbs |
Holland | Wet montane meadow, Wet subalpine or alpine meadow, Fen |
Munz | Alpine fell-fields, Freshwater marsh |
WHR | Wet meadow |
CDFW CA Code | 45.120.00 |
National Vegetation Classification Hierarchy
Formation Class | Mesomorphic Shrub and Herb Vegetation (Shrubland and Grassland) |
Formation Subclass | Temperate and Boreal Shrubland and Grassland |
Formation | Temperate and Boreal Freshwater Marsh |
Division | Western North American Freshwater Marsh |
Macro Group | Western North America Wet Meadow and Low Shrub Carr |
Group | Western Cordilleran montane-boreal summer-saturated meadow |
Remarks
Carex scopulorum is a sod-forming, rhizomatous sedge species to 1-4 cm in height, which forms dense clumps with up to 70% cover. This widespread sedge includes three varieties: var. bracteosa across the West and in California, var. scopulorum in the Rocky Mountains, and var. prionophylla in mountains of the Pacific Northwest east to Montana (USDA-NRCS 2008). The varieties have similar ecologies.
The alliance typically lines flowing small creeks and rivulets, or occurs along lake edges in the subalpine zone (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 2007), and it occurs in transitional fens (Cooper and Wolf 2006). According to Potter (2005), these locations are well watered during the dry season from capillarity, hydrostatic, and subsurface flows. Manning and Padgett (1995) stated that the type is stable and long-lived. C. scopulorum can be common in the understory of Salix eastwoodiae stands, indicating an interrelationship between the two alliances.
The alliance typically lines flowing small creeks and rivulets, or occurs along lake edges in the subalpine zone (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 2007), and it occurs in transitional fens (Cooper and Wolf 2006). According to Potter (2005), these locations are well watered during the dry season from capillarity, hydrostatic, and subsurface flows. Manning and Padgett (1995) stated that the type is stable and long-lived. C. scopulorum can be common in the understory of Salix eastwoodiae stands, indicating an interrelationship between the two alliances.
Life History Traits of the Principal Species
Carex scopulorum | |
---|---|
Life forms | Polycarpic perennial; herb; rhizomatous |
Seed storage | Transient |
Seed longevity | Short |
Mode of dispersal | Animal; gravity |
Germination agents | Stratification—winter |
Mode of sprouting | Underground structures |
Survivability after fire/disturbance | Fire-hardy; high sprouter |
Disturbance-stimulated flowering | No |
Reproductive range | Long-lived |
Recruitment | Low; episodic |
Regional variation | Low |
Fire Characteristics
Fluvial processes rather than fire primarily disturb the alliance. Carex scopulorum sprouts after disturbance.
Fire return interval | — |
Seasonality | — |
Size/extent | — |
Complexity | — |
Intensity | — |
Severity | — |
Type | — |
Regional knowledge | — |
Regional Status
The range of Carex scopulorum includes the Klamath Mountains (M261Ag, At), Northern California Coast Ranges (M261Ba), Southern Cascades (M261Df, Dm), and Warner Mountains (M261Gf ).
- Mono (341Dd-e). Stands exist at subalpine elevations in the Excelsior and Sweetwater mountains and drainages of the Carson and Walker rivers (Manning and Padgett 1995, Weixelman et al. 1999).
- Sierra Nevada (M261Eh, Ej-k, En-o, Eq-r). This is a well-sampled alliance. Descriptions come from the Carson Pass area (Major and Taylor 1977), the Harvey Monroe Hall RNA (Taylor 1984, see Cheng 2004), the Lake Tahoe region (Nachlinger 1985), Stanislaus and El Dorado national forests (Cooper and Wolf 2006), Yosemite National Park (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003b), the east side of the Sierra Nevada (Manning and Padgett 1995, Weixelman et al. 1999), and several other locations in the section (Helms and Ratliff 1987, Potter 2005, Ratliff 1985). Weixelman et al. (1999) noted that C. scopulorum replaces C. nebrascensis at higher elevations and in colder soils of the eastern Sierra Nevada.
Management Considerations
Carex scopulorum attains dominance in undisturbed meadows; however, the sedge loses dominance with grazing (Manning and Padgett 1995). Weixelman et al. (1999) reported that Bistorta bistortoides or Veratrum californicum can become dominant on C. scopulorum sites with disturbance.
Associations
- Carex scopulorum [2], [3], [4], [7], [9], [10]
- Carex scopulorum - Allium validum [6]
- Carex scopulorum / Aulacomnium palustre [1]
- Carex scopulorum - Eleocharis quinqueflora [5]
- Carex scopulorum - Eriophorum crinigerum [2], [8]
- Carex scopulorum - Mimulus primuloides [5]
- Carex scopulorum / Oreostemma alpigenum [6]
- Carex scopulorum - Pedicularis groenlandica [2], [8]
References
- [1] Cooper, D.J.;Wolf, E.C. 2006
- [2] Keeler-Wolf, T.;Schindel, M.;San, S.;Moore, P.;Hickson, D. 2003b
- [3] Major, J.;Taylor, D.W. 1977
- [4] Manning, M.E.;Padgett, W.G. 1995
- [5] Nachlinger, J.L. 1985
- [6] Potter, D.A. 2005
- [7] Ratliff, R.D. 1985
- [8] Taylor, D.W. 1984
- [9] Weixelman, D.A.;Zamudio, D.C.;Zamudio, K.A. 1999
- [10] Boul, R.;Keeler-Wolf, T.;Ratchford, J.;Haynes, T.;Hickson, D.;Yacoub, R.;Harbert, B.;Evens, J. 2021b
- Hermann, F.J. 1970
- Mason, H.L. 1957
- Sawyer, J.O.;Keeler-Wolf, T. 2007