﻿522 
  Nichols: 
  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  Connecticut 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  account 
  which 
  follows,, 
  dealing 
  primarily 
  with 
  the 
  

   coastal 
  swamps 
  along 
  the 
  Connecticut 
  shore, 
  only 
  those 
  swamps 
  

   are 
  included 
  whose 
  vegetation 
  is 
  influenced, 
  in 
  some 
  way 
  or 
  other, 
  

   by 
  the 
  tides, 
  or 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  intimately 
  related 
  to 
  swamps 
  

   of 
  this 
  type. 
  As 
  thus 
  defined, 
  coastal 
  swamps 
  along 
  oceanic 
  

   shores 
  can 
  be 
  differentiated 
  into 
  three 
  intergrading 
  classes: 
  salt 
  

   water 
  sivamps, 
  brackish 
  water 
  swamps, 
  and 
  fresh 
  water 
  swamps 
  

   Salt 
  water 
  swamps 
  are 
  those 
  whose 
  surface 
  is 
  overflowed 
  at 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  regular 
  intervals 
  (typically, 
  twice 
  each 
  day) 
  by 
  practically 
  

   undiluted 
  sea 
  water. 
  Brackish 
  water 
  swamps 
  are 
  developed 
  in 
  

   situations 
  where 
  the 
  inflowing 
  tidal 
  waters 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  meet 
  

   and 
  intermingle 
  with 
  the 
  outflowing 
  fresh 
  waters 
  of 
  inland 
  streams 
  

  

  J 
  

  

  or 
  springs. 
  Fresh 
  water 
  coastal 
  swamps 
  are 
  developed 
  either 
  in 
  

   situations 
  where 
  the 
  ground 
  Is 
  saturated 
  with 
  fresh 
  water, 
  derived 
  

   from 
  underground 
  springs, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  overflowed 
  so 
  

   infrequently, 
  or 
  by 
  saline 
  water 
  so 
  dilute, 
  that 
  the 
  freshness 
  of 
  

   the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  not 
  affected 
  ; 
  or 
  else 
  along 
  the 
  lower 
  courses 
  

   of 
  rivers, 
  in 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  tides 
  In 
  backing 
  up 
  

   the 
  river 
  water 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  periodic 
  inundation 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  by 
  

   fresh 
  water. 
  f 
  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  salt 
  and 
  brackish 
  water 
  swamps 
  

   in 
  temperate 
  regions 
  is 
  almost 
  wholly 
  herbaceous, 
  consisting 
  

   predominately 
  of 
  various 
  grasses 
  and 
  grass-like 
  plants. 
  For 
  

   this 
  reason 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  marshes. 
  Popularly, 
  

   both 
  salt 
  and 
  brackish 
  marshes 
  are 
  indiscriminately 
  termed 
  salt 
  

   marshes. 
  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  fresh 
  water 
  coastal 
  swamps, 
  in 
  their 
  

   most 
  typical 
  development, 
  is 
  likewise 
  marshy, 
  but 
  some 
  wooded 
  

   swamps 
  are 
  also 
  included 
  in 
  this 
  group. 
  

  

  I. 
  Associations 
  of 
  the 
  salt 
  marsh 
  series 
  

  

  TJie 
  muddy 
  bottoms 
  of 
  the 
  siibUttoraL 
  — 
  The 
  most 
  distinctive 
  

   plant 
  of 
  muddy 
  bottoms 
  along 
  the 
  seacoast 
  is 
  the 
  eel 
  grass 
  (FiG. 
  3)- 
  

   As 
  already 
  noted, 
  this 
  also 
  grows 
  on 
  sandy 
  bottoms 
  but 
  it 
  never 
  

   attains 
  there 
  the 
  luxuriance 
  which 
  it 
  exhibits 
  where 
  growing 
  on 
  

   muddy 
  bottoms. 
  From 
  mean 
  low 
  tide 
  level, 
  or 
  slightly 
  above, 
  

  

  *Shaler 
  ('85. 
  p. 
  361) 
  distinguishes 
  three 
  classes 
  of 
  coastal 
  swamps: 
  salt 
  water 
  

   swamps, 
  fresh 
  water 
  swamps, 
  and 
  estuarine 
  swamps. 
  From 
  an 
  ecological 
  standpoint 
  

   this 
  grouping 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  the 
  author 
  as 
  logical 
  as 
  the 
  one 
  here 
  proposed. 
  

  

  t 
  Swamps 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  type 
  are 
  estuarine 
  swamps, 
  but 
  so 
  also 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  brackish 
  

   pwamps 
  developed 
  in 
  similar 
  situations 
  further 
  downstream. 
  

  

  