Carex echinata Herbaceous Alliance
Star sedge fens
Star sedge fens
USDA Ecological Section Map
Summary Information
- Primary Life FormHerb
- Elevation1150-2700 m
- State RarityS3?
- Global RarityG4?
- DistributionCAN: BC. USA: CA, NV?, OR? WA? ID?, Mexico? (BONAP)
- Endemic to CaliforniaNo
- Endemic to California Floristic Province and DesertsNo
- Date Added2013/03/07
Characteristic Species
Carex echinata is dominant in the herbaceous layer with Bistorta bistortoides, Drosera rotundifolia, Eleocharis quinqueflora, Eriophorum crinigerum, Hypericum anagalloides, Mimulus primuloides, Oreostemma alpigenum var. andersonii, Phalacroseris bolanderi, Spiranthes romanzoffiana and Triantha occidentalis ssp. occidentalis. Emergent shrubs may be present at low, including Vaccinium uliginosum. Mosses are typically present, including Philonotis fontana and Sphagnum subsecundum.
Vegetation Layers
Herbs < 90 cm; cover is continuous.
Membership Rules
- Carex echinata > 50% relative cover in the herbaceous layer (Sikes et al. 2010a).
Habitats
Wet meadows; sloping and basin fens. Soils are alluvial and highly organic. The USFWS Wetland Inventory (1996 national list) recognizes Carex echinata as an OBL plant.
Other Habitat, Alliance and Community Groupings
MCV (1995) | None |
NVCS (2009) | None |
Calveg | None |
Holland | None |
Munz | None |
WHR | None |
CDFW CA Code | 45.191.00 |
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 echinata is a cespitose sedge species with culms to 90 cm tall and with 3-6 leaves per culm. Leaf sheath summits are concave and glabrous. The inflorescences vary in size and are comprised of 3-8 lateral spikes, which are typically indistinct, in star-shaped arrays (Ball and Reznicek 2002).
Carex echinata grows in marshes, bogs, fens, swamps, wet meadows, and the peaty or sandy shores of streams and lakes, usually in acidic soils. Carex echinata ssp. echinata is extremely widespread, occurring throughout much of North America excepting northern Canada and midwestern states from South Dakota south through Texas. It is also widespread throughout Eurasia (NatureServe 2011). C. echinata ssp. phyllomanica is restricted to western North American from Alaska south through California. These subspecies overlap throughout the range of C. echinata ssp. phyllomanica (USDA-NRCS 2013).
The Carex echinata herbaceous alliance is described from 31 samples collected during surveys throughout the Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountain region, and the Northern Coast Ranges (Cooper and Wolf 2006, Sikes et al. 2010a, 2010b). This alliance has been found mostly on sloping fens, although it also has been identified from a single basin fen and two wet meadows.
Other vegetation types reported in NatureServe (2011) include the Carex echinata-Deschampsia nubigena bog herbaceous association, which occurs only in Hawaii; and Carex (atlantica, echinata, leptalea, lurida)-Solidago patula herbaceous vegetation, which is reported in five southeastern states. There is also Carex echinata-Solidago uliginosa / Sphagnum spp. herbaceous association identified in Virginia and the District of Columbia. Cooper and Wolf (2006) identified two similar types, Carex echinata-Sphagnum subsecundum and Carex echinata-Philonotis fontana, which are now combined and included in this C. echinata alliance (Sikes et al. 2010a, 2010b, 2012). The Phalacroseris bolanderi/Philonotis fontana-Sphagnum subsecundum association is another fen vegetation type with similar mixes of mosses, and it is also found in transitional sloping fens in the Sierra Nevada.
Carex echinata grows in marshes, bogs, fens, swamps, wet meadows, and the peaty or sandy shores of streams and lakes, usually in acidic soils. Carex echinata ssp. echinata is extremely widespread, occurring throughout much of North America excepting northern Canada and midwestern states from South Dakota south through Texas. It is also widespread throughout Eurasia (NatureServe 2011). C. echinata ssp. phyllomanica is restricted to western North American from Alaska south through California. These subspecies overlap throughout the range of C. echinata ssp. phyllomanica (USDA-NRCS 2013).
The Carex echinata herbaceous alliance is described from 31 samples collected during surveys throughout the Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountain region, and the Northern Coast Ranges (Cooper and Wolf 2006, Sikes et al. 2010a, 2010b). This alliance has been found mostly on sloping fens, although it also has been identified from a single basin fen and two wet meadows.
Other vegetation types reported in NatureServe (2011) include the Carex echinata-Deschampsia nubigena bog herbaceous association, which occurs only in Hawaii; and Carex (atlantica, echinata, leptalea, lurida)-Solidago patula herbaceous vegetation, which is reported in five southeastern states. There is also Carex echinata-Solidago uliginosa / Sphagnum spp. herbaceous association identified in Virginia and the District of Columbia. Cooper and Wolf (2006) identified two similar types, Carex echinata-Sphagnum subsecundum and Carex echinata-Philonotis fontana, which are now combined and included in this C. echinata alliance (Sikes et al. 2010a, 2010b, 2012). The Phalacroseris bolanderi/Philonotis fontana-Sphagnum subsecundum association is another fen vegetation type with similar mixes of mosses, and it is also found in transitional sloping fens in the Sierra Nevada.
Life History Traits of the Principal Species
Carex echinata | |
---|---|
Life forms | Polycarpic perennial herb, non-rhizomatous |
Seed storage | Soil |
Seed longevity | Short |
Mode of dispersal | Animal, gravity |
Germination agents | Stratification—winter |
Mode of sprouting | Underground structures (culms) |
Survivability after fire/disturbance | Fire-sensitive; no/low sprouter |
Disturbance-stimulated flowering | No |
Reproductive range | Life of plant |
Recruitment | Low; episodic |
Regional variation | High |
Fire Characteristics
This alliance occurs in wet sites that experience no or low-severity fires. Fluvial processes are the primary disturbance for this alliance.
Fire return interval | — |
Seasonality | — |
Size/extent | — |
Complexity | — |
Intensity | — |
Severity | — |
Type | — |
Regional knowledge | — |
Regional Status
The range of this alliance includes the Southern California Mountains and Valleys (M262B).
- Klamath Mountains (M261Aj, As, Au). This alliance is identified on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest from one stand sampled by Cooper et al. (2006), and from stands sampled and mapped by Sikes et al. (2010b, 2012).
- Mono (341D). None
- Northern California Coast Ranges (M261Ba). This alliance is identified on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest from two stands (Sikes et al. 2010b, 2012).
- Sierra Nevada (M261Ee, Eg-h, Ej-k, Em, Eo-q, Et-u). This alliance has been identified from the Bucks Lake (M261Ee) south to the Kern Plateau (M261Eu) subsections. It is confirmed from several surveys within five national forests, including the Eldorado, Plumas, Sequoia, Sierra, and Tahoe National Forests (Cooper and Wolf 2006, Sikes et al. 2010a).
- Southern Cascades (M261Df, Dj, Dm). This alliance has been identified from Lassen National Forest in one survey (Cooper and Wolf 2006).
Management Considerations
The U.S. Forest Service in California considers fens areas of special concern. Stream down cutting has impacted fens negatively, as have grazing, road building, and timber harvest in surrounding watersheds.
Associations
- Carex echinata / (Philonotis fontana - Sphagnum subsecundum) [1], [2], [3]
References
- [1] Sikes, K.G.;Cooper, D.J.;Weis, S.;Keeler-Wolf, T.;Barbour, M.;Ikeda, D.;Evens, J.M. 2010a
- [2] Sikes, K.G.;Roach, D.;Buck, J. 2010b
- [3] Sikes, K.G.;Roach-McIntosh, D.;Stout, D. 2012
- Ball, P.W.;Reznicek, A.A. 2002
- Cooper, D.J.;Wolf, E.C. 2006
- NatureServe, 2011
- USDA-NRCS (US Department of Agriculture - Natural Resource Conservation Service), Various dates (1999+)