The Alaska Vegetation Classification - Alaska Geobotany Center ...

Indlcator-A plant whose presence, abundance, or vigor is indicative of certain siteconditions; for example, Cassiope lefragona on sites with late-melting snowbeds.Indigenous-Native to the area; not introduced by man.Karst-A limestone plateau malked by sinks, or karst holes, and solution channelsinterspersed with abrupt ridges. Not a single feature but a landscape.Knrmmholz-Scrubby, stunted trees often forming a characteristic zone at the limitof tree growth in mountains.Lacustrlne deposlt-Mineral material deposited in lake water and exposed when thewater level lowers or the land raises.LandscapCAI1 the natural features, such as hills, forest, and water, that distinguishone part of Earth's surface from another.Landsllde-The rapid downhill movement of a mass of soil and loose rock, generallywhen wet or saturated.Layer (vegetation)-A stuctural component of a community consisting of plants ofabout the same stature or height; for example, tree layer, shrub layer, herb layer,and moss layer.Lichen-woodland-Subarctic forest in which the open ground between trees iscovered with lightcolored fruticose lichens; for example, Cladonia rangiferina.Llnear leaf-A leaf many times as long as wide and with essentially parallel sidesat least in the middle portions.LithophytCA plant growing on a rock; for example, lichens and mosses.Lithosol-A young soil consisting mainly of partly weathered rock fragments orof nearly bare rock.Lltter-A surface layer on the forest floor of loose organic debris consisting offreshly fallen or slightly decomposed plant parts.LlttoraCThat portion of the sea shore subject to alternate submergence andemergence by abnormal tides.Liverwort-A small plant in the class Hepaticae, phylum Bryophyta, usuallygrowing in moist places; for example, Marchanfia.Loam-Soil material that is 7 to 27 percent clay particles, 28 to 50 percent siltparticles, and less than 52 percent sand particles.Loess-Soil material transported and deposited by wind and consisting ofpredominantly silt-sized particles.Low moor-Type of fen composed of peat or muck soil, formed in eutrophic ormesotrophic waters (commonly a former lake) and, therefore, relatively rich inminerals and supporting a rich vegetation.Lowland-A relative term for land tying along streams and flood plains.Marine aquatic-Aquatic plant community types in ocean settings, either subtidalor intertidal, but low enough to be inundated at least once daily by high tides.