Name:
Cercocarpus ledifolius Shrubland Alliance
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
The plant associations in this alliance occur in semi-arid, mountainous habitats of the interior western United States. These shrublands are often located on rocky outcrops or escarpments in forested areas. Most stands occur on steep rimrock slopes, usually in areas of shallow soils or protected slopes. In Wyoming, stands of this alliance primarily grow on carbonate sediments (limestone or dolomite) or on sandstones rich in calcium carbonate. Other rock types include quartz, gneiss, and basalt. Soils are typically rocky and immature, and are always rockier than found in surrounding sites. The vegetation in this alliance is characterized by an open shrub canopy of Cercocarpus ledifolius. The vegetation may occur as scattered small- and large-patch communities in arid steppe or on rocky outcrops or steep escarpments within forests. Other shrubs often occur in the stands and include Artemisia tridentata, Artemisia arbuscula, Artemisia nova, Artemisia frigida, Amelanchier alnifolia, Ericameria nauseosa (= Chrysothamnus nauseosus), Prunus virginiana, Ribes spp., and Symphoricarpos spp. The herbaceous layer is usually composed of xeric graminoids including Festuca idahoensis, Pseudoroegneria spicata, Poa secunda, Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides), Achnatherum occidentale (= Stipa occidentalis), Elymus glaucus, Calamagrostis rubescens, Koeleria macrantha, and Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata). Outcrop communities usually include many of the species above, but may also include forest trees such as Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, Pinus flexilis, Pinus jeffreyi, Juniperus osteosperma, Juniperus scopulorum, or Juniperus occidentalis. Adjacent vegetation is usually Pinus ponderosa or Pseudotsuga menziesii forests or woodlands, pinyon and/or juniper woodlands, Artemisia shrublands, or grasslands dominated by species of Festuca, Achnatherum, Hesperostipa, or Pseudoroegneria.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18221.CERCOCARPUSLEDI
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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