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Betula occidentalis Intermittently Flooded Shrubland Alliance | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Betula occidentalis Intermittently Flooded Shrubland Alliance
Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description: This riparian shrubland alliance occurs on moderately wide stream benches and floodplains. They may also occur on hillside seeps in the mountains and foothills. Sites are relatively flat (1-5% slope) stream benches and often extend away from the channel edge. The substrate is usually exposed, but surface water can be present for variable periods without detectable seasonal periodicity. Inundation is not predictable to a given season and is dependent upon highly localized rainstorms (e.g., summer thunderstorms in eastern Oregon and Idaho). Soils are derived from alluvium and are fairly shallow, ranging from 30 cm to greater than 60 cm. Betula occidentalis forms a dense, closed canopy with cover up to 95%. The shrub layer may also include Crataegus douglasii, Purshia tridentata, Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana, Rosa woodsii, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Purshia tridentata, Alnus incana, Juniperus horizontalis, Salix spp., and Cornus sericea. Due to the dense shrub canopy, herbaceous undergrowth is usually limited. Forb species include Aquilegia formosa, Maianthemum stellatum (= Smilacina stellata), and Urtica dioica. Graminoid cover is usually low and is typically composed of introduced hay grasses. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.19079.BETULAOCCIDENTA
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: Betula occidentalis Intermittently Flooded Shrubland Alliance
  Translated: Water Birch Intermittently Flooded Shrubland Alliance
  UID: HIGHER_CLASS_UNIT.2.126039 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: A.936