Community Field Guide
Scientific Name:
Equisetum fluviatile Herbaceous Vegetation
Common Name:
Water Horsetail Marsh
Community Description
Environment:
Equisetum fluviatile communities can be found at low to mid-elevations in the mountains of central and southwestern Montana, and it occurs more consistently in the mountains and valleys of western Montana. Habitat includes glacial potholes and lakes, old oxbows, and backwaters of rivers and streams. Soils are variable, and they frequently encompass Mollisols, Entisols, and Histosols. The mineral soils usually have some degree of organic matter accumulation. This community is usually flooded year-round. Wetter sites are typified by deeper water emergent vegetation dominated by Typha latifolia, Scirpus spp. or aquatic communities dominated by various species of Nuphar and Potamogeton or open water. A variety of drier communities can occur adjacent to Equisetum fluviatile communities, and these can include stands of Carex sp., Salix spp., Phragmites australis, or Phalaris arundinacea (Hansen et al. 1988, Hansen et al. 1995).
Vegetation:
This community is usually dominated by a dense, monotypic stand of Equisetum fluviatile. Scattered forbs may occur in the community, and these include Polygonum amphibium, Potamogeton gramineus, and Comarum palustre. Carex lasiocarpa and Carex utriculata can also occur in these stands in low amounts (Hansen et al. 1988, Hansen et al. 1995).
Range:
This community is reported from the northwest (Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) and the mid-west (Minnesota), including Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario.
Management:
This community is generally so wet that it receives very little livestock use.
Global Rank: G4 State Rank: S4
Community References
Identifier:
CEGL002746
Author:
99-10-18 / J. Greenlee, MTNHP
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This information is from the:
Montana Natural Heritage Program
Montana State Library--Natural Resource Information System
1515 East Sixth Ave., Helena, MT 59620-1800
406 444-3989
mtnhp.org
mtnhp@mt.gov
