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Salix planifolia / Caltha leptosepala Shrubland | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Salix planifolia / Caltha leptosepala Shrubland
Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description: This major wetland/riparian shrubland association typically occurs in the upper montane and subalpine zones in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Beartooth Mountains and Plateau in northwestern Wyoming. Elevation ranges from 2700-3700 m (8900-12,100 feet). Stands typically occurs in wide, glaciated valleys adjacent to streams, around kettle ponds, in depressions and on slopes where snowmelt runoff saturates soils for much of the growing season. Sites may be flat or uneven with raised hummocks to moderately sloping. The water table at these sites is usually near the surface throughout the growing season. The alluvial substrates are highly variable. This vegetation is characterized by a nearly closed shrub layer that is dominated by <i>Salix planifolia</i> (often forming nearly pure stands with 30-100% cover), with an herbaceous layer dominated by the wet forb <i>Caltha leptosepala</i>. Other willow species that may be present at lower elevation are <i>Salix geyeriana</i> or <i>Salix monticola</i> and at higher elevations <i>Salix brachycarpa, Salix glauca</i>, and <i>Salix wolfii</i>. Other shrubs that may be present in lower concentrations include <i>Betula glandulosa</i> and <i>Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda</i>. <i>Picea engelmannii</i> is occasionally scattered throughout the stand. The herbaceous layer is limited to openings between shrubs and dominated by mesic and wet forb species that exceed cover of graminoids. <i>Caltha leptosepala</i> is generally present to dominant (frequency or cover). Other mesic and wet forbs species include <i>Aconitum columbianum, Cardamine cordifolia, Delphinium barbeyi, Erigeron peregrinus, Ligusticum porteri, Mertensia ciliata, Pedicularis groenlandica, Polygonum bistortoides, Rhodiola rhodantha, Saxifraga odontoloma, Senecio triangularis</i>, and <i>Thalictrum fendleri</i>. Wet graminoid species, such as <i>Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Carex utriculata</i>, and <i>Deschampsia caespitosa</i>, may be present with low cover. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.32561.CEGL002665
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.2.685807 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Translated: Diamondleaf Willow / White Marsh-marigold Shrubland
  Scientific: Salix planifolia / Caltha leptosepala Shrubland
  Code: CEGL002665