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Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Mertensia ciliata Forest | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Mertensia ciliata Forest Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of... Description: This coniferous riparian plant association occurs in the subalpine spruce-fir zone in New Mexico, Colorado and possibly Wyoming occurring at 3050-3500 m (9000-11,500 feet) elevation. It is a heavily shaded forest with no shrubs and a thick line of wildflowers lining the stream edge. It is a common community in the subalpine zone along the immediate channel edge and adjacent overflow areas of first- and second-order streams. Stream gradient is often moderate (2-15%). Soils are dark brown in color with high organic matter content. They range from a thin layer of skeletal sandy loam to somewhat deep, mottled loamy sand over colluvial boulders. The tree canopy is generally dense and dominated by <i>Picea engelmannii</i> and/or <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> with few associates. A shrub layer is generally lacking, although <i>Salix drummondiana, Lonicera involucrata</i>, and <i>Ribes</i> spp. can be present but with less than 10% cover. The herbaceous layer is lush and diverse. <i>Mertensia ciliata</i> is nearly always present. Other forbs consistently present include <i>Cardamine cordifolia, Senecio triangularis, Saxifraga odontoloma (= Micranthes odontoloma), Oxypolis fendleri, Trollius laxus ssp. albiflorus, Caltha leptosepala, Ligusticum porteri, Streptopus amplexifolius, Equisetum arvense, Arnica mollis, Geranium richardsonii, Carex bella, Calamagrostis canadensis</i>, and <i>Carex aquatilis</i>, among many others. At high elevations and on drier hummocks, <i>Vaccinium myrtillus</i> and <i>Polemonium pulcherrimum</i> can occur.  Accession Code: VB.CC.31929.CEGL002663 Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
	Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization) Perspective from: 17-Nov-2014 to: 01-May-2019
	status: accepted This Community's Level: association This Community's Children: [none]		Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683195 NatureServe Explorer   Translated: Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce / Tall Fringed Bluebells Forest   Scientific: Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Mertensia ciliata Forest   Code: CEGL002663