Ohio subset of Plant Communities of the Midwest ... - NatureServe

Wooded Swamps and Floodplains: Midwestern Rich Shrub Swamps
Cornus sericea - Salix spp. - (Rosa palustris) Shrubland
Red-osier Dogwood - Willow Species - (Swamp Rose) Shrubland
Dogwood - Willow Swamp
CEGL002186
DESCRIPTION: The vegetation is dominated by tall shrubs between 1 and 3 m tall, with at least 25% cover, and often
very dense (>60% cover). More open stands may have high graminoid cover. Trees may be scattered, but cover less
than 25%. Composition of the shrub layer is quite diverse, primarily due to the diversity of Salix spp., which
collectively share dominance with Cornus sericea. Willow species include Salix bebbiana, Salix discolor, Salix
eriocephala, Salix exigua (= Salix interior), Salix fragilis, and Salix petiolaris. Other shrubs associates include
Cephalanthus occidentalis (southeastward), Cornus amomum, Ribes americanum, Rosa palustris (more common
eastward), Rosa blanda and Rosa woodsii var. woodsii (= Rosa macounii) (more common westward), Rubus
pubescens (northward), Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (= Rubus strigosus), Sambucus canadensis, Spiraea alba, and
Viburnum lentago. Woody vines present include Clematis virginiana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, and
Toxicodendron radicans. Characteristic herbs include Asclepias incarnata, Symphyotrichum lanceolatum var.
lanceolatum (= Aster simplex), Calamagrostis canadensis, Eupatorium maculatum, Glyceria striata (= Glyceria
nervata), Impatiens capensis (= Impatiens biflora), Lycopus americanus, Lycopus uniflorus, Phalaris arundinacea,
Solidago gigantea, and Thalictrum dasycarpum. A variety of sedges may dominate more open stands, including
Carex lacustris and Carex stricta. Tree species include Acer rubrum, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Ulmus americana
(Curtis 1959, White and Madany 1978, Chapman et al. 1989, Reschke 1990, MNNHP 1993, Harris et al. 1996).
Stands are found along streams and lakes, or in upland depressions. Hydrology is variable, but is typically seasonally
flooded. Soils are wet, organic, and minerotrophic, with either highly decomposed peat or fine mineral soils (Curtis
1959, Harris et al. 1996).
Shrub swamps may naturally succeed herbaceous wet meadows as part of successional series in lakes and ponds.
They may also originate from clearing of forested swamps (Curtis 1959), or draining of wet meadows (MNNHP 1993).
COMMENTS: 2, MCS. The closely related shrub meadow type is Cornus sericea - Salix (bebbiana, discolor, petiolaris)
/ Calamagrostis stricta Shrubland (CEGL002187), with which this type intergrades, and which generally has a more
open shrub cover (25-50% cover). It's conceivable that the two types could be combined. It is also possible that a
number of different Salix and Cornus shrub swamp types could be recognized with further study. A boreal/sub-boreal
type may also be needed (e.g. Harris et al. 1996). Rich shrub fens, typically on a more peaty substrate or with
calcareous indicators overlap to some degree with this type, but are a separate group. In Ontario, a coarsely defined
type, Mixed Deciduous Thicket Swamp Shrubland (CEGL005086), covers a number of more locally dominant species
recorded there, e.g., shrub swamps dominated by any of the following: Acer spicatum, Lindera benzoin, Viburnum
dentatum, Viburnum lentago (Bakowsky and Lee 1996, Lee et al. 1998). In New York, this type may occur on the
Great Lakes plain.
CONSERVATION RANK: G5.
DISTRIBUTION: This dogwood - willow shrub swamp community type is found in the upper midwestern region of the
United States and adjacent Canada, ranging from Minnesota east to western New York and Ontario, south to Illinois
and Indiana.
USFS ECOREGIONS: 212Hb:CPP, 212He:CP, 212Hh:CP, 212Hi:CP, 212Hj:CP, 212Hl:CP, 212Hm:CP, 212Hr:CP,
212Hs:CP, 212Ht:CPP, 212Hu:CPP, 212Hv:CP, 212Hw:CP, 212Hx:CP, 212Ja:CPP, 212Jb:CPP, 212Jc:CPP, 212Je:CPP,
212Jf:CPP, 212Jj:CPP, 212Jl:CPP, 212Jm:CPP, 212Ka:CCP, 212Kb:CCC, 212La:CPP, 212Mb:CPP, 212Na:CCP, 212Nb:CCP,
212Nc:CCC, 221Ea:CCC, 222Ib:CPP, 222Ic:CPP, 222Id:CPP, 222Ja:CC, 222Je:CCC, 222Ji:CCC, 222Ke:CCC, 222Kf:CCC,
222Lc:CCC, 222Mb:CCC, 222Mc:CCC, 222Md:CCC, 222Me:CCC, 222Na:CCC, 251Ba:CCC, 251Cf:CCC
CONSERVATION REGIONS: 35:C, 36:C, 45:C, 46:C, 47:C, 48:C, 49:C
STATES: IL IN MI MN NY OH WI PROVINCES: ON
MIDWEST HERITAGE SYNONYMY: IL
shrub swamp (N) I
IN shrub swamp +
MI southern shrub-carr +
MN willow swamp =
OH mixed shrub swamp +
WI shrub carr =
OTHER SYNONYMY: Shrub Carr (Curtis 1959) =, Thicket swamp: tall willow (W36) (Harris et al. 1996) =, shrub swamps
(Anderson 1996) B
USNVC HIERARCHY: CORNUS SERICEA - SALIX SPP. SEASONALLY FLOODED SHRUBLAND ALLIANCE (III.B.2.N.e)
PLANT COMMUNITIES OF THE MIDWEST – 2001. APPENDIX: ASSOCIATION DESCRIPTIONS
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