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Phyllodoce empetriformis Dwarf-shrubland Alliance | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Phyllodoce empetriformis Dwarf-shrubland Alliance Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of... Description: This dwarf-shrubland alliance is found in alpine and subalpine parklands in high mountains of the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains. The climate is cold and snowy with a snow-free period of only 3-4 months. Elevations typically range from 1400 m in the Olympic Mountains to over 3200 m in the mountains of southwestern Montana. These snowbed communities occur in protected, lee slope areas of level or concave glacial topography where late-lying snow and subirrigation from surrounding slopes saturates the sites. In exceptionally wet areas, sites include convex slopes with better drainage. Soils are always strongly acid, usually with substantial peat layers. These dwarf-shrublands often form part of a subalpine parkland mosaic just below the upper treeline. Phyllodoce empetriformis is the dominant shrub, but Cassiope mertensiana is usually present and often abundant. Shrub associates may include Vaccinium deliciosum, Vaccinium scoparium, or Kalmia microphylla. The herbaceous layer is usually a lush mixture of forbs and graminoids, especially sedges, and often includes Erigeron spp., Luetkea pectinata, Antennaria lanata, Sibbaldia procumbens, Pedicularis ornithorhyncha, Castilleja parviflora, Deschampsia caespitosa, Erythronium spp., Carex spectabilis, Carex nigricans, Juncus drummondii, and Polygonum bistortoides. These communities usually grade into herbaceous meadows dominated by Carex spp. at their wetter margin and into woodlands of Tsuga mertensiana, Abies lasiocarpa, and/or Pinus albicaulis at their drier margins. Such changes are generally related to only minor changes in microelevation, and woodland, dwarf-shrubland, and herbaceous meadow communities may be strongly intermingled. Diagnostic of this alliance is a dwarf-shrubland layer dominated by Phyllodoce empetriformis.  Accession Code: VB.CC.20751.PHYLLODOCEEMPET 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:   Translated: Pink Mountain-heath Dwarf-shrubland Alliance   Scientific: Phyllodoce empetriformis Dwarf-shrubland Alliance   UID: HIGHER_CLASS_UNIT.2.126034 NatureServe Explorer   Code: A.1083