Name:
Bouteloua gracilis - Buchloe dactyloides Xeric Soil Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This blue grama - buffalo grass shortgrass prairie is found in the northern Great Plains of the United States and possibly adjacent Canada. Stands occur on very dry slopes. In northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota, it is typically on clay pan depressions that range in size from a few square m to 1 hectare or more, but it can also occur on sandy ridgetops and hillslopes. The vegetation provides moderate to high vegetative cover, typically between 40-90%. Bouteloua gracilis is usually strongly dominant on sandier soils, while Carex filifolia is a strong dominant on clay and silty clay soils at the edge of bluffs and tables. In Badlands National Park, South Dakota, common associates on sandier soils include Pascopyrum smithii, Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata), Buchloe dactyloides, Aristida purpurea, Bromus japonicus, and a variety of forbs, including Conyza canadensis. Shrubs that are typically observed in this type include Artemisia frigida, Opuntia polyacantha, Yucca glauca, and Gutierrezia sarothrae. Species commonly associated with Carex filifolia on clay and silty clay soils include Hesperostipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Bromus japonicus, and Ratibida columnifera. Typical shrubs are the same as those listed on sandy soils. Forbs in Nebraska include Lomatium foeniculaceum, Monolepis nuttalliana, Musineon divaricatum, Oonopsis multicaulis, and Plantago elongata. Shrubs are sparse to absent, and include Artemisia tridentata, Artemisia cana, Artemisia frigida, and, more westward in Nebraska, Ericameria nauseosa (= Chrysothamnus nauseosus) and Sarcobatus vermiculatus.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18706.BOUTELOUAGRACIL
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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