Northern Ontario Plant Database

Northern Ontario Vegetation Type (V-type)

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C-V8: White Cedar - Hardwoods - Fragrant Bedstraw - Herb Rich
Summary: A white cedar dominated forest stand with a variety of hardwood and softwood species occurring with less than 50% frequency. Trembling aspen, white spruce, and white birch occur in the overstory, but are not recorded in significant numbers from the subcanopy or regeneration layers. Other associate species in the overstory and subcanopy include black ash, yellow birch, balsam poplar, red maple, basswood, and balsam fir. The most common species in the regeneration layer are balsam fir, white cedar, sugar maple, black ash, and white elm. Common shrubs include mountain maple, Canada fly honeysuckle, and skunk currant; alternate-leaf dogwood occurs less frequently.

The herb layer is very species rich, it is characterized by the common occurrence of foamflower, jack-in-the-pulpit, and, less frequently, dewdrop. Spinulose woodfern and oak fern occur more commonly than lady fern and sensitive fern. Several feathermoss species grow in patches on the forest floor, but only Schreber's feathermoss is common.

This vegetation type is similar to C-V9, however, C-V8 is characterized by the presence of foamflower, jack-in-the-pulpit, and white elm, but generally lacks naked mitrewort, woodland horsetail, and beaked hazel.

Soil & Ecosite Types: The White Cedar-Hardwood-Fragrant Bedstraw-Herb Rich Vegetation Type (C-V8) occurs most commonly on very moist, coarse loamy to silty soils (S15), to wet, deep organic, mesic and humic (S20, S21) soils, but may occasionally be found on somewhat drier soil types. This vegetation type was described from the eastern portion of Site Region 5E, mainly from Site Districts 5E11 and 5E12. Like C-V9, this vegetation type is found exclusively on ecosite type C-ES 34 (White Cedar-Lowland Hardwood, Very Moist to Wet).

Note: In sample plots, species listed below occurred with 50% frequency or more, except for those in square brackets, which occurred with 30-49% frequency.

Trees:

overstorey

white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
[black ash (Fraxinus nigra)]
[trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)]
[white spruce (Picea glauca)]
[yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)]
[balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera)]
[red maple (Acer rubrum)]
[basswood (Tilia americana)]
[white birch (Betula papyrifera)]
[balsam fir (Abies balsamea)]

subcanopy

white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
[black ash (Fraxinus nigra)]
[balsam fir (Abies balsamea)]
[yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)]
[balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera)]
[red maple (Acer rubrum)]
[white elm (Ulmus americana)]
[sugar maple (Acer saccharum)]

regeneration

balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
black ash (Fraxinus nigra)
white elm (Ulmus americana)
[red maple (Acer rubrum)]
[basswood (Tilia americana)]
[yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)]

Shrubs:

tall shrubs

mountain maple (Acer spicatum)
[alternate-leaf dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)]

low shrubs

Canada fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
skunk currant (Ribes glandulosum)

Dwarf Shrubs and Herbs:

dwarf shrubs

dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens)
[twinflower (Linnaea borealis)]

forbs

fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)
starflower (Trientalis borealis)
jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
[kidneyleaf violet (Viola renifolia)]
[goldthread (Coptis trifolia)]
[broadleaf helleborine (Epipactis helleborine)]
[northern white violet (Viola macloskeyi)]
[rose twisted-stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus)]
[dewdrop (Dalibarda repens)]
[largeleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)]
[spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis)]

graminoids

[sedges (Carex spp.)]

Ferns and Fern Allies:

ferns

spinulose woodfern (Dryopteris carthusiana)
oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
[lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina)]
[sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)]

Bryophytes:

glossy moss (Plagiothecium laetum)
Schreber's feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi)
[common fern moss (Thuidium delicatulum)]
[stairstep moss (Hylocomium splendens)]
[rough cedar moss (Brachythecium salebrosum)]

Lichens:

[common powderhorn (Cladonia coniocraea)]