Name:
Pleuraphis mutica Shrub Herbaceous Alliance
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This grassland alliance occurs on flats and slopes of mesas and mountains within the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts and has been described from extreme southwestern New Mexico and south-central Arizona. Soils are sandy to gravelly silt loams. Vegetation included in this alliance is often distributed in patches and is characterized by a sparse to moderately dense graminoid layer dominated by Pleuraphis mutica (= Hilaria mutica) with a sparse shrub layer. The herbaceous layer is potentially diverse. Other characteristic graminoids may include species such as the annuals Aristida adscensionis, Bouteloua barbata, Chloris virgata, Eragrostis pectinacea, Eriochloa lemmonii, and Panicum hirticaule, and the perennials Bouteloua eriopoda, Cyperus esculentus, Eragrostis intermedia, Muhlenbergia porteri, Panicum obtusum, and Tridens muticus. The shrub layer consists of clumps and stringers of Larrea tridentata and Prosopis glandulosa or Prosopis velutina. Other common shrubs may include Parkinsonia microphylla, Fouquieria splendens, Lycium berlandieri, Menodora scabra, and Zinnia acerosa (= Zinnia pumila). Scattered forbs include species such as Allionia incarnata, Amaranthus palmeri, Hoffmannseggia glauca, Solanum elaeagnifolium, Kallstroemia parviflora, and Talinum aurantiacum. Scattered cacti, such as Opuntia engelmannii, Opuntia imbricata, Opuntia macrorhiza (= Opuntia leptocarpa), Opuntia spinosior, and Echinocereus pectinatus, may also be present. Diagnostic of this alliance is the Pleuraphis mutica-dominated herbaceous layer with a significant shrub layer (>10% cover), and the lack of flooding.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.21643.PLEURAPHISMUTIC
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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