Coniferous swamps are forested

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s in which the dominant trees are lowland conifers such as northern white cedar (''

Thuja occidentalis ''Thuja occidentalis'', also known as northern white-cedar, eastern white-cedar, or arborvitae, is an evergreen coniferous tree, in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is native to eastern Canada and much of the north-central and northeastern ...

''). The soil in these swamp areas is typically saturated for most of the growing season and is occasionally inundated by seasonal storms or by winter snow melt. The substrate is usually organic in nature and may contain

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...

in varying amounts or be composed entirely of

muck Muck most often refers to: *Muck (soil), a soil made up primarily of humus from drained swampland Muck may also refer to: Places Europe * Muck, Scotland, an island * Isle of Muck, County Antrim, a small island connected by sand spit to Portmu ...

. The swamp substrate is typically nutrient-rich and neutral to alkaline, but can be

acidic In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a ...

and nutrient-poor. Coniferous swamps vary in composition, with different species of conifer dominating, and varying amounts of deciduous hardwoods growing within the swamp. A wide diversity of plants is represented within the swamps, with certain species dominating in a variety of

microhabitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s dependent on factors such as available sunlight (as in cases of trees downed by wind or disease), Soil pH, standing groundwater, and differences of elevation within the swamp such as tussocks and

nurse log A nurse log is a fallen tree which, as it decays, provides ecological facilitation to seedlings. Broader definitions include providing shade or support to other plants. Some of the advantages a nurse log offers to a seedling are: water, moss thickn ...

s.Wetlands of the American Midwest: a historical geography of changing attitudes By Hugh C. Prince p.66 The different types of coniferous swamps are referred to according to their dominant trees. ''Rich conifer swamp'' is dominated by northern white cedar and typically occurs south of the climatic tension zone throughout the Midwest and northeastern United States and adjacent areas in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. North of the climatic tension zone, tamarack ('' Larix laricina'') is the dominant species of conifer in

minerotrophic Minerotrophic refers to environments that receive nutrients primarily through groundwater that flows through mineral-rich soils or rock,Environment Canada (2014). Ontario wetland evaluation system: Northern Manual, 1st edition, version 3.2. Queen’ ...

wetlands classified as ''rich tamarack swamp''. A roughly equal mix of hardwood trees and conifers is known as a ''hardwood-conifer swamp''.

Rich conifer swamp

Flora

Trees

Eastern Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) bark and foliage

A variety of both

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

and

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

trees may be present in the rich conifer swamp in addition to the dominant species. *''

'': Northern white cedar, the dominant conifer, also known as arborvitae, a common landscape specimen in northern U.S. states and Canada. *''

Abies balsamea ''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada ( Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...

'': Balsam fir *''

Acer rubrum ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nati ...

'': Red maple *''

Betula papyrifera ''Betula papyrifera'' (paper birch, also known as (American) white birch and canoe birch) is a short-lived species of birch native to northern North America. Paper birch is named for the tree's thin white bark, which often peels in paper like ...

'': Paper birch *'' Cornus stolonifera'': Red-osier dogwood *'' Cornus florida'': Flowering dogwood *'' Larix laricina'': Tamarack *''

Picea mariana ''Picea mariana'', the black spruce, is a North American species of spruce tree in the pine family. It is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 territories. It is the official tree of the province of Newfoundland and Labr ...

'': Black spruce *''

Picea glauca ''Picea glauca'', the white spruce, is a species of spruce native to the northern temperate and boreal forests in North America. ''Picea glauca'' is native from central Alaska all through the east, across southern/central Canada to the Avalon Pe ...

'': White spruce *'' Pinus strobus'': White pine * ''

Taxodium distichum ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide r ...

'': Bald cypress *''

Tsuga canadensis ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree of ...

'': Hemlock *''

Ulmus americana ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Flor ...

'': American elm *''

Populus tremuloides ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, mountain or golden aspen, tr ...

'': Quaking aspen *''

Populus balsamifera ''Populus balsamifera'', commonly called balsam poplar, bam, bamtree, eastern balsam-poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca, is a tree species in the balsam poplar species group in the poplar genus, ''Populus.'' The genus name ''Populu ...

'': Balsam poplar *''

Nyssa aquatica ''Nyssa aquatica'', commonly called the water tupelo, cottongum, wild olive, large tupelo, tupelo-gum, or water-gum, is a large, long-lived tree in the tupelo genus ''(Nyssa)'' that grows in swamps and floodplains in the Southeastern United Stat ...

'': Water tupelo *'' Nyssa ogeche'': White tupelo *''

Nyssa sylvatica ''Nyssa sylvatica'', commonly known as tupelo, black tupelo, black gum or sour gum, is a medium-sized deciduous tree native to eastern North America from the coastal Northeastern United States and southern Ontario south to central Florida and e ...

'': Black tupelo *''

Alnus glutinosa ''Alnus glutinosa'', the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to most of Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. It thrives in wet locations wh ...

'': Common alder

Shrubs

*'' Alnus rugosa'' Tag elder *''

Ilex verticillata ''Ilex verticillata'', the winterberry, is a species of holly native to eastern North America in the United States and southeast Canada, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to Alabama. Other names that have been used in ...

'' Winterberry *'' Ilex mucronata'' Mountain holly *''

Sambucus racemosa ''Sambucus racemosa'' is a species of elderberry known by the common names red elderberry and red-berried elder. Distribution and habitat It is native to Europe, northern temperate Asia, and North America across Canada and the United States. It ...

'' Red elderberry *''

Gaylussacia baccata ''Gaylussacia baccata'', the black huckleberry, is a common huckleberry found throughout a wide area of eastern North America. Distribution The plant is native to Eastern Canada and the Great Lakes region, the Midwestern and Northeastern Unit ...

'' Huckleberry *''

Taxus canadensis ''Taxus canadensis'', the Canada yew or Canadian yew, is a conifer native to central and eastern North America, thriving in swampy woods, ravines, riverbanks and on lake shores. Locally called simply "yew", this species is also referred to as ...

'' Canadian yew *'' Lonicera canadensis'' American fly honeysuckle *'' Lonicera oblongifolia'' Swamp fly honeysuckle *''

Vaccinium angustifolium ''Vaccinium angustifolium'', commonly known as the wild lowbush blueberry, is a species of blueberry native to eastern and central Canada (from Manitoba to Newfoundland) and the northeastern United States, growing as far south as the Great Smoky ...

'' Low sweet blueberry *''

Vaccinium myrtilloides ''Vaccinium myrtilloides'' is a shrub with common names including common blueberry, velvetleaf huckleberry, velvetleaf blueberry, Canadian blueberry, and sourtop blueberry. It is common in much of North America, reported from all 10 Canadian provi ...

'' Canada blueberry *'' Ribes americanum'' Wild black currant *''

Ribes triste ''Ribes triste'', known as the northern redcurrant, swamp redcurrant, or wild redcurrant, is an Asian and North American shrub in the gooseberry family. It is widespread across Canada and the northern United States, as well as in eastern Asia ( ...

'' Swamp red currant *'' Ribes lacustre'' Swamp black currant

Vines

*''

Toxicodendron radicans ''Toxicodendron radicans'', commonly known as eastern poison ivy or poison ivy, is an allergenic Asian and Eastern North American flowering plant in the genus ''Toxicodendron''. The species is well known for causing urushiol-induced contact derm ...

'' Poison ivy *''

Lonicera dioica ''Lonicera dioica'' (limber honeysuckle, glaucous honeysuckle) is a vine in the honeysuckle family native to Canada and the eastern and central United States. ''Lonicera dioica'' comprises four variations: var. ''Dasygyna'', var. ''Dioica'', va ...

'' Limber honeysuckle

Ferns

*''

Osmunda cinnamomea ''Osmundastrum'' is genus of leptosporangiate ferns in the family Osmundaceae with one living species, ''Osmundastrum cinnamomeum'', the cinnamon fern. It is native to the Americas and eastern Asia, growing in swamps, bogs and moist woodlands. I ...

'' Cinnamon fern *''

Thelypteris palustris ''Thelypteris palustris'', the marsh fern, or eastern marsh fern, is a species of fern native to eastern North America and across Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily ...

'' Marsh fern *'' Osmunda spectabilis'' Royal fern *''

Gymnocarpium dryopteris ''Gymnocarpium dryopteris'', the western oakfern, common oak fern , oak fern, or northern oak fern, is a deciduous fern of the family Cystopteridaceae. It is widespread across much of North America and Eurasia. It has been found in Canada, the ...

'' Oak fern

Gramminoids

A variety of grasses and sedges may be present including multiple varieties of ''

carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

''. *'' Glyceria striata'' Fowl manna grass

Mosses

*'' Callicladium haldanianum'' Callicladium moss *'' Sphagnum centrale''

Orchids

*'' Cypripedium calceolus'' Yellow lady’s-slipper *''

Platanthera hyperborea ''Platanthera hyperborea'', the northern green orchid, is small orchid found only in Greenland, Iceland, and Akimiski Island in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atl ...

'' Tall northern bog orchid

Forbs

*'' Aquilegia canadensis'' Red Columbine

References

{{Wetlands Swamps Conifers