Carex (utriculata, vesicaria) Herbaceous Alliance
Beaked sedge and blister sedge meadows
Beaked sedge and blister sedge meadows
USDA Ecological Section Map
Summary Information
- Primary Life FormHerb
- Elevation0-3400 m
- State RarityS4
- Global RarityG5
- DistributionCAN: BC. USA: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, WY (NatureServe)
- Endemic to CaliforniaNo
- Endemic to California Floristic Province and DesertsNo
- Date Added1995/11/01
Characteristic Species
Carex utriculata or Carex vesicaria is dominant or co-dominant in the herbaceous layer with Bistorta bistortoides, Carex jonesii, Carex lenticularis, Carex nebrascensis, Carex praegracilis, Deschampsia cespitosa, Juncus arcticus, Menyanthes trifoliata, Muhlenbergia filiformis, Potamogeton natans, Saxifraga oregana, Scirpus congdonii, Torreyochloa pallida var. pauciflora, Trifolium wormskioldii and Viola macloskeyi. Emergent shrubs may be present at low cover; mosses may be abundant.
Vegetation Layers
Herbs < 1 m; cover is intermittent to continuous.
Membership Rules
- Carex vesicaria or C. utriculata > 30% relative cover in the herbaceous layer; C. scopulorum with low cover, if present.
- Carex utriculata > 30% relative cover in the herbaceous layer; C. scopulorum with low cover if present (Potter 2005).
- Carex vesicaria > 30% relative cover in the herbaceous layer; C. scopulorum with low cover if present (Potter 2005).
Habitats
Wet meadows, fens, edges of ponds and lakes, depressions, seeps, swales. Soils can be mineral to highly peaty and hummocky. The USFWS Wetland Inventory (1996 national list) recognizes Carex utriculata as NI and C. vesicaria as OBL plants in the Northwest and California, respectively.
Other Habitat, Alliance and Community Groupings
MCV (1995) | Beaked sedge series |
NVCS (2009) | Carex utriculata saturated herbaceous alliance, Carex vesicaria seasonally flooded herbaceous alliance |
Calveg | Wet grasses and forbs |
Holland | Wet montane meadow, Wet subalpine or alpine meadow, Freshwater seep, Fen |
Munz | Freshwater marsh |
WHR | Wet meadow |
CDFW CA Code | 52.121.00 |
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 utriculata and C. vesicaria are widespread northern hemisphere sedges that grow over a wide elevation range in California. They both commonly produce stands with few other species in montane and subalpine settings; the sedges forming indistinct tussocks that consist of living, drying, and dead plant parts. Culms of C. utriculata grow for up to 6 years; plants spread by fragmentation, and they are prolific seeders (Cope 1992b). In many studies, C. utriculata is identified incorrectly as C. rostrata, a closely related sedge of Alaska and Canada (Ball and Reznicek 2002).
Stands where either C. utriculata or C. vesicaria dominates are representative of the alliance. In many ways, these are both taxonomically and ecologically similar species. In California, these species tend to occupy margins of shallow ponds and lakes or deep, slow-running, permanently flooded stream channels in montane meadow systems. C. vesicaria occupies settings with more seasonal water fluctuation. C. vesicaria is less strongly rhizomatous than C. utriculata, and appears to colonize more easily following disturbance. C. utriculata grows in deep standing water with high organic matter. Both species establish stands in basin fens with deeper water at the edge of floating or stabilized peat mats; C. utriculata also occurs in high primary production and transitional fens (Cooper and Wolf 2006).
Montane stands dominated by Eleocharis macrostachya are now placed within a broader alliance designation of Carex utriculata - Calamagrostis canadensis alliance, found in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho (NatureServe 2023). The Carex (utriculata, vesicaria) alliance will likely be subsumed into this expanded concept in the future.
Stands where either C. utriculata or C. vesicaria dominates are representative of the alliance. In many ways, these are both taxonomically and ecologically similar species. In California, these species tend to occupy margins of shallow ponds and lakes or deep, slow-running, permanently flooded stream channels in montane meadow systems. C. vesicaria occupies settings with more seasonal water fluctuation. C. vesicaria is less strongly rhizomatous than C. utriculata, and appears to colonize more easily following disturbance. C. utriculata grows in deep standing water with high organic matter. Both species establish stands in basin fens with deeper water at the edge of floating or stabilized peat mats; C. utriculata also occurs in high primary production and transitional fens (Cooper and Wolf 2006).
Montane stands dominated by Eleocharis macrostachya are now placed within a broader alliance designation of Carex utriculata - Calamagrostis canadensis alliance, found in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho (NatureServe 2023). The Carex (utriculata, vesicaria) alliance will likely be subsumed into this expanded concept in the future.
Life History Traits of the Principal Species
Carex utriculata | Carex vesicaria | |
---|---|---|
Life forms | Polycarpic perennial; herb; rhizomatous | Polycarpic perennial; herb; rhizomatous |
Seed storage | Transient | Transient |
Seed longevity | Short | Short |
Mode of dispersal | Animal; water/hydrological; wind | Animal; water/hydrological; wind |
Germination agents | Stratification—winter | Stratification—winter |
Mode of sprouting | Underground structures | Underground structures |
Survivability after fire/disturbance | Fire-hardy; no/low sprouter to high sprouter | Fire-hardy; no/low sprouter to high sprouter |
Disturbance-stimulated flowering | No | No |
Reproductive range | 2-6 years (culms) to long-lived (clone) | Long-lived |
Recruitment | Low; episodic | Low; episodic |
Regional variation | Low | Low |
Fire Characteristics
Fluvial processes rather than fire typically disturb stands. However, the species’ deeply located rhizomes usually survive all but the most severe fires and the plants are typically difficult to burn. Shoots sprout from rhizomes after fire and plant productivity temporarily increases. If this type does burn it is probably related to the frequency of severe fire in the surrounding vegetation.
Fire return interval | — |
Seasonality | — |
Size/extent | — |
Complexity | — |
Intensity | — |
Severity | — |
Type | — |
Regional knowledge | — |
Regional Status
The range of both Carex species includes the San Bernardino Mountains (M262Bh).
- Klamath Mountains (M261Ac-j, Al-u). Stands occur in most of the shallow lakes, ponds, and wet meadows of the montane and subalpine elevations.
- Modoc Plateau (M261Gb-d, Gf-g, Gi-j, Gn-p). Stands of C. vesicaria in the Warner Mountains (S. Smith 1998b) are found in shallow ponds, lakes, and wet meadows throughout much of the section.
- Mono (341Da, Dd, Dh, Dj, Dl). Stands of C. utriculata in the Carson, Truckee, and Walker watersheds, and in the Excelsior and Sweetwater mountains are the most extensive in the state (Manning and Padgett 1995, Weixelman et al. 1999).
- Northern California Coast (263Aa, Ae). The lowest elevation stands are likely along the coast of Del Norte and Humboldt Cos.
- Northern California Coast Ranges (M261Ba). Stands occur in shallow lakes and in wet meadows in the Yolla Bolly Mountains (Keeler-Wolf and Keeler-Wolf 1974).
- Sierra Nevada (M261Ea-r, Et-u). Stands where either sedge dominates (Benedict 1983, Cheng 2004, Halpern 1986, Nachlinger 1985, Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003, Potter 2005, Taylor 1984) characterize the alliance. Stands of C. vesicaria also exist in basin fens in the Lassen and El Dorado National Forests, and stands of C. utriculata exist in basin to high primary production fens across the section (Cooper and Wolf 2006).
- Southern Cascades (M261Db-g, Di-j, Dm). Stands of both species, especially C. vesicaria, occur at higher elevations in basin fens (Cooper and Wolf 2006, S. Smith 1998b).
Management Considerations
Carex utriculata is moderately resistant to grazing and trampling. Trail creation and off-road vehicle use cause serious long-term damage (Cope 1992b). C. vesicaria colonizes reservoir edges in the montane of the Sierra Nevada, where it tolerates substantial summer drawdown in some years.
Associations
- Carex utriculata [3], [4], [5], [6], [8], [9], [10]
- Carex utriculata - Mimulus primuloides [10]
- Carex vesicaria [1], [6], [7], [11]
- Eleocharis macrostachya Montane [2], [6], [7], [17]
References
- [1] Beguin, C.N.;Major, J. 1975
- [2] Klein, A.;Crawford, J.;Evens, J.;Keeler-Wolf, T.;Hickson, D. 2007
- [3] Halpern, C.B. 1986
- [4] Manning, M.E.;Padgett, W.G. 1995
- [5] Nachlinger, J.L. 1985
- [6] Potter, D.A. 2005
- [7] Smith, S. 1998b
- [8] Taylor, D.W. 1984
- [9] Weixelman, D.A.;Zamudio, D.C.;Zamudio, K.A. 1999
- [10] Benedict, N.B. 1983
- [11] Keeler-Wolf, T.;Schindel, M.;San, S.;Moore, P.;Hickson, D. 2003b
- [17] Boul, R.;Keeler-Wolf, T.;Ratchford, J.;Haynes, T.;Hickson, D.;Yacoub, R.;Harbert, B.;Evens, J. 2021b
- Allen-Diaz, B.H. 1994
- Barry, W.J. 1989a
- Barry, W.J. 1989b
- Cheatham, N.H.;Haller, J.R. 1975
- Cheng, S. 2004
- Cope, A.B. 1992b
- Hermann, F.J. 1970
- Hurd, E.G.;Shaw, N.L.;Mastroguiseppe, J.;Smithman, L.S.;Goodrich, S. 1998
- Mason, H.L. 1957
- Padgett, W.G.;Youngblood, A.P.;Winward, A.H. 1989
- Paysen, T.E.;Derby, J.A.;Black, H.;Bleich, V.C.;Mincks, J.W. 1980
- Paysen, T.E.;Derby, J.A.;Conrad, C.E. 1982
- Shiflet, T.N. 1994
- Youngblood, A.P.;Mauk, R.L. 1985