Name:
Pinus ponderosa / Cercocarpus montanus / Andropogon gerardii Wooded Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This association is found on the eastern side of the Colorado Front Range. It occurs from 5200-6900 feet elevation, on topographic features including hogbacks, ridges, mesas and slopes. This is an open, shrubby, woodland association. The evergreen, needle-leaved tree Pinus ponderosa forms an open tree layer (cover varying from 10 to over 30% over an understory composed of broad-leaved deciduous shrubs, succulents, suffrutescents and graminoids. Cercocarpus montanus dominates the shrub layer, typically with cover values varying from 10 to over 40%, with Rhus trilobata always present in lower abundance. Succulent species, such as Opuntia polyacantha, Echinocereus viridiflorus, and Yucca glauca, are more important in this association than in other foothill woodlands of this region. Suffrutescent species are also common, the most abundant include Artemisia frigida, Artemisia ludoviciana, and Eriogonum umbellatum. The herbaceous layer is dominated by perennial grasses. Andropogon gerardii is always present, varying from 5-30% cover. Several other species can be abundant, including Elymus albicans (= Elymus lanceolatus ssp. albicans), Schizachyrium scoparium, Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata), Bouteloua hirsuta, and Bouteloua curtipendula. Both perennial and annual forbs occur in the herbaceous layer in low abundance; some of the more important species include Heterotheca villosa, Erigeron pumilus, Astragalus spp., and Penstemon spp. Total herbaceous cover is high, usually over 30% and occasionally as high as 60%.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.23338.PINUSPONDEROSAC
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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