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A.1316 | EcoArt 2002
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Name: A.1316
Reference: EcoArt 2002
Description: These grasslands are found in small but re-occurring montane parks in the ~Pinus ponderosa$ forests of the northern Front Range of Colorado and in Wyoming. Elevations range from 2450-3000 m. Sites are moderately sloping (10-20%), with southern and western aspects. Soils are shallow to moderately deep (>60 cm) usually with less than 20% coarse fragments. Soil texture is sandy loam and pH 6.4-6.6. Parent material is alluvium and colluvium derived from gneiss and schist. These dry grasslands form a mosaic with the ~Pinus ponderosa$ forest. They have a moderately dense (60-70% cover) herbaceous layer that is dominated by the perennial bunchgrass ~Danthonia parryi$. Other frequent graminoids are ~Carex inops ssp. heliophila, Muhlenbergia montana, Festuca arizonica, Koeleria macrantha, Poa secunda$, and ~Poa fendleriana$. Forbs are diverse but contribute little cover (usually less than 10%) and include ~Antennaria rosea, Eriogonum umbellatum, Gaillardia aristata, Gentiana$ spp., ~Mertensia lanceolata, Penstemon$ spp., and ~Potentilla hippiana$. The dwarf-shrub ~Artemisia frigida$ is often scattered through these stands. At higher elevations these grasslands occur in an ecotone with ~Pinus contorta$ forests, and at lower elevations mountain shrub and other dry grassland communities are common neighbors. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.1089.A1316
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.h
  • This Community's Level: Alliance
  • This Community's Children: [none]
Names:   Scientific: DANTHONIA PARRYI HERBACEOUS ALLIANCE
  Code: A.1316
  Common: Parry's Oatgrass Herbaceous Alliance
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(undetermined) Danthonia parryi Herbaceous Alliance