The following tables and content has been adapted from “Plants for Stormwater Design: Species Selection for the Upper Midwest” (Daniel Shaw and Rusty Schmidt, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 2003). To obtain a free copy of this guidebook, telephone (651) 297-8679 or write to Operations and Environmental Review Section, Regional Environmental Management Division, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 520 Lafayette Rd. N., Saint Paul, MN 55103-1402.

Zone Plant community Hydrology
1 Submergent zone 1.5 - 6 feet of water
2 Emergent zone 0 - 18 inches of water
3 Wet meadow zone Permanent moisture
4 Floodplain zone Flooded during snowmelt and large storms
5 Upland zone Seldom or never inundated (the upland zone includes prairie and forest plant communities)