Name:
A.852
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
Shrublands included in this alliance occur on rocky bajadas and ridges in the Arizona Uplands of the Sonoran Desert from 600-800 m in elevation. Climate is hot and dry in summer, and hard freezes are rare in the winter. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 18-32 cm. Although it varies greatly from year to year, the annual precipitation has a bimodal distribution: about half of the rain falls during July to September and a third falls from December to March. Sites where these vegetation types are found are on gentle to moderately steep, east-facing hillslopes, middle and upper bajadas, and ridges. Substrates are derived from alluvium, and are generally shallow, coarse-textured, and gravelly. Stands occur at elevations above the Sonoran desertscrub, dominated by ~Larrea tridentata$ or ~Ambrosia dumosa$, and below the interior chaparral, dominated by ~Quercus turbinella, Cercocarpus montanus$ or ~Arctostaphylos pungens$. The sparse to moderately dense canopy (30-45% cover) of shrubs is dominated or codominated by the broad-leaved xeromorphic, deciduous shrub ~Ambrosia deltoidea$. Codominant species include a mix of microphyllous evergreen and broad-leaved deciduous shrubs and small trees, such as ~Simmondsia chinensis, Parkinsonia microphylla, Encelia farinosa, Larrea tridentata, Krameria grayi, Jatropha cardiophylla, Lycium$ spp. and ~Fouquieria splendens$. Tall woody cacti, such as ~Carnegia gigantea, Opuntia fulgida, Opuntia bigelovii, Opuntia acanthocarpa, Opuntia engelmannii, Opuntia leptocaulis$, or ~Stenocereus thurberi$, are present and conspicuous, with heights up to 10 m. The graminoid layer is generally sparse.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.2481.A852
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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