Northern Ontario Plant Database

Northern Ontario Vegetation Type (V-type)

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NE-V14: White Cedar - White Spruce - Mountain Maple - Ferns
Summary: A conifer-dominated mixedwood stand with white cedar providing 21-40% cover in the overstorey. Several other conifer and hardwood species also occur, including white spruce, balsam fir, and white birch. Regeneration is dominated by white cedar (6-10% cover), followed by white spruce, balsam fir, and white birch (each 2-5% cover).

The shrub layer is moderately-rich and dominated by mountain maple (11-20% cover), with showy mountain ash and Canada honeysuckle each providing 2-5% cover. In moister sites of this vegetation type, speckled alder may provided 21-40% cover. The herb layer is rich, with spinulose shield fern and oak fern providing as much cover (2-5%) as dwarf raspberry, naked mitrewort, wild sarsaparilla, and the characteristic boreal forest species. Sedges are also common, providing 6-10% cover. A variety of other herbs, grasses, and pteridophytes are also present, each providing no more than 5% cover in 1/3 to 2/3 of sample plots.

The moss layer is dominated by patches of stairstep moss (2-5% cover) and Schreber's feathermoss (1% cover) scattered amongst the coniferous and deciduous leaf litter. In fewer than 2/3 of the sample plots, shaggy moss and sickle moss also provided 2-5% cover. Other feathermoss species and acrocarpous mosses occur with less than 1% cover.

Soil and Ecosite Types: The White Cedar-White Spruce-Mountain Maple-Fern Vegetation Type (NE-V14) is found most commonly on moist, shallow organic soils (S15, S16) and less commonly on deep organic soils (S19), and fresh to moist, non-calcareous loamy to silty (S7, S9, S11) or loamy to clayey (S14) soils. This vegetation type may occur on ecosite types ES9r (White Spruce-Balsam Fir-White Cedar-Moist Soil-Species Rich), ES10 (Trembling Aspen-Black Spruce-Balsam Poplar-Moist Soil), ES13r (White Cedar-Black Spruce-Organic Soil-Species Rich), and ES21 (White Pine-Coniferous Mixedwood).

Trees:

overstorey

white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) [7]
white spruce (Picea glauca) [5]
balsam fir (Abies balsamea) [3]
white birch (Betula papyrifera) [3]
black ash (Fraxinus nigra) [2]
black spruce (Picea mariana) [1]
trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) [1]

regeneration

white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
white birch (Betula papyrifera)
white spruce (Picea glauca)

Shrubs:

tall shrubs

mountain maple (Acer spicatum)
showy mountain ash (Sorbus decora)
speckled alder (Alnus incana subsp. rugosa)
beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta)

low shrubs

Canada fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
bristly black currant (Ribes lacustre)
red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
swamp red currant (Ribes triste)
wild red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)

Dwarf Shrubs & Herbs:

dwarf shrubs

dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens)
twinflower (Linnaea borealis)

forbs

bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
naked mitrewort (Mitella nuda)
wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
violets (Viola spp.)
fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
goldthread (Coptis trifolia)
starflower (Trientalis borealis)
rose twisted-stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus)
wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)
largeleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
dwarf enchanter's nightshade (Circaea alpina)
sweet coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus)
wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella subsp. montana)
nodding trillium (Trillium cernuum)
wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia)
northern bluebells (Mertensia paniculata)

graminoids

sedges (Carex spp.)
broadleaf reed grass (Cinna latifolia)

Ferns & Fern Allies:

ferns

spinulose shield fern (Dryopteris carthusiana)
oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum)

clubmosses

shining clubmoss (Huperzia lucidula)

Bryophytes:

stairstep moss (Hylocomium splendens)
Schreber's feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi)
shaggy moss (or electrified cat's-tail) (Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus)
sickle moss (Sanionia uncinata)
common fern moss (Thuidium delicatulum)
dusky broom moss (or curly heron's-bill) (Dicranum fuscescens)
felt round moss (Rhizomnium pseudopunctatum)
plume moss (Ptilium crista-castrensis)

Note: Species listed above are taken from the Vegetation type description and the Species Percentage Cover by Vegetation Type Tables (pg. D 34). Species are listed in order of most cover and abundance.