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Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Shrubland Alliance | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Shrubland Alliance
Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description: This broadly distributed alliance is found in the western United States and southwestern Canada on dry steppes. It occurs primarily west of the Continental Divide; however, this description is also based on the vegetation in western North Dakota and eastern Montana. This alliance occurs on flat to steeply sloping sites with southerly aspects. Sites with little slope tend to have deep soils, while those with steeper slopes have shallow to moderately deep soils. Soil texture is loam, sandy loam, or clay loam. Shrubs are conspicuous in this alliance, but herbaceous species usually have equal or greater cover. The vegetation included in this alliance is characterized by a somewhat sparse to moderately dense (20-70% cover) shrub layer that is dominated (or codominated with at least 40% relative cover in mixed stands) by Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis. The herbaceous layer is relatively sparse and often dominated by perennial graminoids (<20% cover) that occupy patches in the shrub matrix. Atriplex confertifolia, Artemisia frigida, Purshia tridentata, and Krascheninnikovia lanata are common associates. The herbaceous stratum can be diverse and have moderate cover, but perennial graminoids typically total <20% cover. Pseudoroegneria spicata is one of the most common species. Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, Bromus japonicus (especially on disturbed areas), Carex filifolia, Koeleria macrantha, and Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata) are common but rarely dominant. Forbs include Achillea millefolium, Camelina microcarpa, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Sphaeralcea coccinea, Opuntia spp., and Phlox spp. Mosses and lichens, such as Selaginella densa, may occur on bare ground. Diagnostic of this alliance is the Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis-dominated shrub layer that lacks a significant perennial graminoid layer (<20% cover) or has over 40% total cover of shrubs. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.18965.ARTEMISIATRIDEN
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 26-Nov-1997 to: 01-May-2019
     
  • status: accepted
  • This Community's Level: Alliance
  • This Community's Children: [none]
Names:   Scientific: Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Shrubland Alliance
  Translated: Wyoming Big Sagebrush Shrubland Alliance
  UID: HIGHER_CLASS_UNIT.2.124815 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: A.832