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Pinus ponderosa Slickrock Sparse Vegetation | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Pinus ponderosa Slickrock Sparse Vegetation
Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description: This sparse wooded association is restricted to exposures of massive Navajo sandstone in the canyons and plateaus of southern Utah. The vegetation is rooted in joints in the sandstone. Because Navajo sandstone is a massive formation and is relatively undeformed in the Colorado Plateau, joints and fractures are relatively rare; thus the vegetation is sparse. Sites are on gentle to vertical slopes, occur between 1800 and 2430 m elevation, and are oriented to any aspect. The unvegetated surface has high exposure of bedrock and sparse to low cover of litter, large rocks, and sand. Soils are rapidly drained, shallow loamy sands and form only in cracks and potholes in the bedrock. This ponderosa pine slickrock sparse vegetation association is characterized by <i>Pinus ponderosa</i> trees, often stunted to less than 10 m tall, that range in cover from 1% to less than 20%. The shrub element is depauperate also and provides sparse to low cover. Common shrubs include <i>Amelanchier utahensis, Cercocarpus intricatus</i>, and <i>Arctostaphylos patula</i>. The herbaceous layer is diverse in terms of species composition but is sparse, less than 5% total cover. The forb <i>Helianthella microcephala</i> is relatively common. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.33049.CEGL002972
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.2.686984 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Translated: Ponderosa Pine Slickrock Sparse Vegetation
  Scientific: Pinus ponderosa Slickrock Sparse Vegetation
  Code: CEGL002972