Name:
Rhus trilobata Intermittently Flooded Shrubland
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This association is known from both riverine and non-riverine wetlands in Utah, western Colorado, and the Snake River canyon and its tributaries of southern Idaho. Throughout its range, the association occurs at low to mid elevations (e.g., 2300-5500 feet in Idaho and 5100-6500 feet in Colorado), most often along mid-order to large rivers, but also in narrow canyons of small creeks and intermittent drainages. This association often forms linear bands above the high water line on steep shorelines, along rocky toeslopes at cliff bases, on benches, and in intermittent arroyos, usually where there is minimal floodplain development. Stands also occur on rocky hillsides in association with springs and seeps emanating from canyon walls. In broad river bottoms, stands occur in the floodplain on second terraces between older Populus spp. forests on upper terraces and Salix exigua shrublands next to the river. In these large floodplains, habitats are in flux with stream meanders, channel downcutting, and sediment deposition; sites where this shrubland persists are generally too dry for the establishment of Populus and Salix spp. The association is found on well-drained, fine silty clays to sandy loam soils overlying coarse alluvium, bedrock, or talus. Rhus trilobata often forms tall, dense, and nearly impenetrable thickets with 30-98% cover. Associated shrubs can sometimes be codominant, but no single species has consistently high cover or constancy across the range of the association. Associated shrubs include Celtis laevigata var. reticulata, Clematis ligusticifolia, Cornus sericea, Ericameria nauseosa, Ribes aureum, Rosa woodsii, Salix exigua, Salix lasiolepis, Salix lutea, Shepherdia argentea, and Toxicodendron rydbergii. Saplings of Populus fremontii, Populus angustifolia, or Salix amygdaloides may be present. Total understory herbaceous cover and diversity are low, and herbaceous species are often confined to shrub canopy gaps. Bromus tectorum and Galium aparine are the most frequently occurring species, but native grasses such as Elymus canadensis, Equisetum spp., Hordeum jubatum, Muhlenbergia asperifolia, Leymus cinereus, Pascopyrum smithii, and Phragmites australis are sometimes also present. Forb associates include Apocynum cannabinum and Artemisia ludoviciana. Non-native species are common in disturbed stands.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.20864.RHUSTRILOBATAIN
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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