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A.1287 | EcoArt 2002
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Name: A.1287
Reference: EcoArt 2002
Description: This alliance occurs in arid and semi-arid regions in the southwestern Great Plains, Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and throughout the southwestern U.S. on a variety of landforms including plains, mesas, alluvial flats, floodplains, swales, hillslopes, dunes, badlands and bajadas. Soils are variable and range from sand to clay textures. The vegetation is characterized by an herbaceous layer with sparse to moderately dense cover of perennial grasses that is usually dominated by ~Pleuraphis jamesii (= Hilaria jamesii)$, either growing in nearly pure stands or codominated by ~Sporobolus airoides$. ~Pleuraphis jamesii$ typically grows as a bunchgrass, but under favorable conditions produces a sod. Total vegetation cover ranges from 10-70%, and ~Pleuraphis jamesii$ cover ranges from 8-40%. Other common perennial grasses such as ~Sporobolus cryptandrus, Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides)$, and ~Bouteloua gracilis$ occur in small amounts (less than half the cover of ~Pleuraphis jamesii$). The sparse forb layer often includes ~Sphaeralcea coccinea$ and ~Astragalus$ spp. Occasional scattered shrubs and dwarf-shrubs species of ~Artemisia, Atriplex, Chrysothamnus, Ericameria, Ephedra$, and ~Yucca$, as well as ~Gutierrezia sarothrae$ and ~Krascheninnikovia lanata$, may occur with less than 10% total cover. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.1056.A1287
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 26-Nov-1997 to: 17-Mar-2005
     
  • status: accepted
  • Community's Parent: V.A.5.N.e
  • This Community's Level: Alliance
  • This Community's Children: [none]
Names:   Scientific: PLEURAPHIS JAMESII HERBACEOUS ALLIANCE
  Code: A.1287
  Common: James' Galleta Herbaceous Alliance
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(undetermined) Pleuraphis jamesii Herbaceous Alliance