Name:
Quercus arizonica Woodland Alliance
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This alliance is found on rocky slopes in canyons and mountains in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. Sites include moderate to steep slopes on all aspects in canyons and on piedmont slopes of mountains. Soils are often gravelly loams derived from a variety of parent materials. Woodlands included in this alliance are characterized by the broad-leaved evergreen tree Quercus arizonica and are typically 3-15 m tall with an open tree canopy. Other common trees may include Juniperus deppeana, Juniperus monosperma, Pinus discolor, Pinus edulis, Quercus emoryi, Quercus grisea, and Quercus hypoleucoides. Riparian woodlands may also have Fraxinus velutina present. There is usually a moderate shrub layer from 1-3 m tall. Characteristic species include Agave spp., Arctostaphylos pungens, Brickellia spp., Cercocarpus montanus, Dasylirion wheeleri, Ericameria laricifolia, Garrya wrightii, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Nolina microcarpa, Opuntia imbricata, Opuntia phaeacantha, Quercus turbinella, Rhus spp., Yucca baccata, Yucca schottii, and juvenile tree species. The graminoid layer is dominated by bunch grasses, such as Bouteloua curtipendula or Muhlenbergia emersleyi, but can be very diverse. Other common graminoid species may include Koeleria macrantha, Leptochloa dubia, Muhlenbergia dubia, Muhlenbergia longiligula, Muhlenbergia pauciflora, Panicum bulbosum, Piptochaetium fimbriatum, and Schizachyrium cirratum. The usually sparse, but often diverse, forb layer may include Artemisia spp., Croton fruticulosus, Dichondra brachypoda, Geranium caespitosum, Macroptilium gibbosifolium, Viguiera dentata, and many others. Diagnostic of this woodland alliance is the Quercus arizonica-dominated tree layer.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.19353.QUERCUSARIZONIC
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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