Table 2 — Examples of systems, classes, subclasses, and dominance types as related to 

 vegetation (from Cowardin and others 1979) 



System 



Class 



Subclass 



Estuarine 



Riverine 



Lacustrine 



Palustrine 



Aquatic bed 



Emergent wetland 



Scrub-shrub wetland 



Forested wetland 



Scrub-shrub wetland 



Forested wetland 



Algal 



Rooted vascular 



Floating 



Persistent 

 Nonpersistent 



Needle-leaved evergreen 

 Broad-leaved evergreen 

 Needle-leaved deciduous 

 Broad-leaved deciduous 

 Dead 



Needle-leaved evergreen 

 Broad-leaved evergreen 

 Needle-leaved deciduous 

 Broad-leaved deciduous 

 Dead 



Aquatic bed 



Aquatic moss 

 Rooted vascular 

 Floating 



Streambed 



Vegetated 



Rocky shore 



Bedrock 

 Rubble 



Unconsolidated shore 



Vegetated 



Emergent wetland 



Nonpersistent 



Aquatic bed 



Aquatic moss 

 Rooted vascular 

 Floating 



Unconsolidated shore 



Vegetated 



Emergent wetland 



Nonpersistent 



Aquatic bed 



Aquatic moss 

 Rooted vascular 

 Floating 



Unconsolidated shore 



Vegetated 



Moss-lichen wetland 



Moss 

 Lichen 



Emergent wetland 



Persistent 

 Nonpersistent 



Needle-leaved evergreen 

 Broad-leaved evergreen 

 Neele-leaved deciduous 

 Broad-leaved deciduous 

 Dead 



Needle-leaved evergreen 

 Broad-leaved evergreen 

 Needle-leaved deciduous 

 Broad-leaved deciduous 

 Dead 



Examples of dominance types 



Rockweed (Fucus vesiculosus) 



Eelgrass (Zostera marina) 



Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) 



Smooth cordgrass (Partina alterniflora) 

 Samphire (Salicornia europea) 



Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) 

 Mangrove (Conocarpus erectus) 

 Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) 

 Marsh elder (Iva frutescens) 

 None 



Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) 

 Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) 

 Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) 

 Red ash (Fraxinums pennsylvanica) 

 None 



Moss (Fissidens adiantoides) 

 Riverweed (Podostemum ceratophyllum) 

 Bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris) 



Old witch grass (Panicum capillare) 



Liverwort (Marsupella emarginata) 

 Lichen (Dermatocarpon fluviatile) 



Cocklebur (Zanthium strumarium) 



Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) 



Moss (Fontinalis antipyretica) 

 Widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima) 

 Duckweed (Lemna minor) 



Goosefoot (Chenopodium rubrum) 



Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) 



Moss (Fissidens julianus) 



White water lily (Nymphaea odorata) 



Water fern (Salvinia rotundifolia) 



Summer cypress (Kochia scoparia) 



Peat moss (Sphagnum fuscum) 

 Reindeer moss (Cladonia rangiferina) 



Common cattail (Typha latifolia) 

 Arrow-arum (Peltandra virginica) 



Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecy parts thyoides) 

 Coastal sweetbells (Leucothoe axillaris) 

 Tamarack (Larix laricina) 

 Speckled alder (Alnus rugosa) 

 None 



Black spruce (Picea mariana) 

 Sweet bay (Magnolia virginiana) 

 Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) 

 Red maple (Acer rubrum) 

 None 



13 



