Bog blueberry – Manyflower sedge – Dwarf birch
	Vaccinium uliginosum – Carex pluriflora – Betula nana
	n = 3
	II.C.2.e. Ericaceous Shrub Bog
	Ecosystems:  Relict lakebed, Depression

A similar crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) – bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) type is frequently described for Alaska (Hultén, 1960, in Viereck, et. al., 1992; Boggs, 2000.   DeVelice, et. al., 1999, also include manyflower sedge (Carex pluriflora). Working near Yakutat, Shephard (1995) describes a crowberry – manyflower sedge type which includes a significant bog blueberry component, but unlike on the Kenai, none of these types contain dwarf birch (Betula nana).  Many workers have described closely related and variable types lumped under the shrub birch (Betula glandulosa, which has been tentatively lumped as B. nana) - bog blueberry – sedge / sphagnum type (Brock and Burke, 1980 in Viereck, et. al., 1992; Hanson, 1953; Viereck, 1970; Racine, 1978a&b; Hogan and Tande, 1983) in The Alaska Vegetation Classification (Viereck, et. al., 1992).

Bog blueberry – manyflower sedge – dwarf birch communities are uncommon, found primarily on higher elevation depressions and relict glacial lakebed fens south of Clam Gulch.  

Bog blueberry dominates, but manyflower sedge is common. Dwarf birch cover is sparse.  Trace amounts of crowberry, bog cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccoscloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) and bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) are present over a continuous, often hummocky sphagnum mat.  The shrubs occupy the hummock tops, with the sedge in the micro-low positions.  

The organic layer is at least a meter thick, and the water table not far below the surface.  All three sites visited are jurisdictional wetlands.

Table 1. Frequency of soil series occurrence and hydric status at NRCS holes.  Bold type indicates soils on the NRCS Alaska hydric soils list. 

Table 2.  Summary of plant frequency and average cover for plants occurring in more than 50% of plots.

Introduction and Key to Plant Communities   Introduction and Key to Ecosystems     Kenai Hydric Soils    Map Unit Summary    Methods   Glossary