Name:
Valeriana sitchensis - Veratrum viride Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This is a lush subalpine meadow association of the northern Cascades (Washington) and northern Rockies (Montana and Alberta). It is a small-patch type best described as a forb meadow associated with mesic sites of the upper subalpine to lower alpine zones; the observed elevation range in the Cascades was 1738 to 2150 m (5700-7050 feet), while in the northern Rocky Mountains it has been documented from 1555 to 2270 m (5100-7445 feet). In the Cascades it occurs on southerly exposures of moderate to steep, well-drained slopes. In the northern Rockies it occupies a wider variety of environments, including steep northeast slopes and glacio-fluvial flats and swales that lose their snow cover relatively late in the season. Substrates in the Rockies range from glacial till and drift to scree slopes, almost all of which are composed of noncalcareous sedimentary rock. These are lush, tall-forb communities, often highly diverse. The Cascadian and Rocky Mountain expressions of this type are dominated by <i>Valeriana sitchensis</i> and usually <i>Veratrum viride</i>, but the Cascadian has <i>Lupinus latifolius</i> and <i>Carex spectabilis</i> as major associates, and the Rocky Mountain examples have quite a different suite of associated forbs, none of which attain more than modest cover. The most constant forbs of the northern Rockies are <i>Angelica arguta, Heracleum maximum, Hypericum scouleri (= Hypericum formosum), Chamerion angustifolium (= Epilobium angustifolium), Erigeron peregrinus, Erythronium grandiflorum</i>, and <i>Senecio triangularis</i>. In the Cascades, <i>Heracleum maximum, Erythronium</i> spp., and <i>Chamerion angustifolium</i> are also common, along with <i>Mitella breweri, Polygonum bistortoides</i>, and <i>Pulsatilla occidentalis (= Anemone occidentalis)</i>. A number of forbs with less demanding moisture requirements, such as <i>Thalictrum occidentale</i> and <i>Potentilla diversifolia</i>, also regularly occur. Graminoids are a minor component of these sites with <i>Poa alpina, Phleum alpinum, Juncus drummondii, Luzula parviflora</i>, and <i>Carex microptera</i> having the greatest constancy but only infrequently exceed a few percent cover.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.32468.CEGL001998
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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