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Vaccinium (myrtillus, scoparium) / Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii Dwarf-shrubland | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Vaccinium (myrtillus, scoparium) / Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii Dwarf-shrubland Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of... Description: This community has been documented from throughout the southern reaches of Glacier National Park, Montana. This small-patch community has been documented from 1775 to 2280 m (5820-7475 feet), usually on moderate to steep southerly exposures (southeasterly to southwesterly), but northerly aspects have been noted as well. It is mostly found on mid- to upper-slope positions as well as slope shoulders and ridges. Soils have developed from argillites, mudstone and sandstone of colluvial or glacial deposition, contain more than 20% rock in the upper profile and are rapidly drained loams and loamy sands. All sampled stands currently have mixtures of trace amounts of seedling and sapling Abies lasiocarpa, Picea engelmannii, and Pinus albicaulis. These sites are characterized as having more than 10% Vaccinium scoparium (or Vaccinium myrtillus) cover; usually these species have in excess of 20% cover. Other shrubs are not consistently present and, with the exception of Spiraea betulifolia, none have more than 3% cover. The graminoid component for a given stand ranges from diverse (in excess of 10 species) to relatively depauperate (only 2 species), but only four species, Luzula glabrata, Trisetum spicatum, Danthonia intermedia, and Carex geyeri, occur with greater than 50% constancy and only Luzula glabrata has coverages consistently in excess of 10%. Luzula's presence and cover are indicative of persisting snowpack; also indicative of this condition are the graminoids Juncus drummondii and Juncus parryi and forbs Sibbaldia procumbens and Arenaria capillaris, but their constancy and covers are low. The forb component is generally diverse, but there were no forbs having high-constancy values; only Xerophyllum tenax, Chamerion angustifolium, and Silene parryi have values in excess of 50%. There is a relatively broad moisture regime represented with the moister sites having Erigeron peregrinus, Valeriana sitchensis, and Hypericum scouleri (= Hypericum formosum) and on the drier ones Eriogonum flavum, Erigeron compositus, and trace amounts of various bunchgrass species or Carex geyeri.  Accession Code: VB.CC.28072.VACCINIUMMYRTIL Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
	Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization) Perspective from: 14-Jan-2004 to: 17-Nov-2014
	status: accepted Community's Parent: Vaccinium (caespitosum, myrtillus, scoparium) Dwarf-shrubland Alliance This Community's Level: Association This Community's Children: [none]		Names:   Translated: (Whortleberry, Grouseberry) / Hitchcock's Smooth Woodrush Dwarf-shrubland   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.728637 NatureServe Explorer   Scientific: Vaccinium (myrtillus, scoparium) / Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii Dwarf-shrubland   Code: CEGL005879 (convergence) and Synonyms: (undetermined) Vaccinium (myrtillus, scoparium) / Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii Dwarf-shrubland