Name:
Ephedra torreyana - (Atriplex canescens, Atriplex confertifolia) Sparse Vegetation
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This sparsely vegetated association is widely distributed locally in Canyonlands National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah, but is also found in northern Arizona. It occurs on a broad range of depositional and erosional landforms, including alluvial fans, benches, dunes, canyon bottoms, stream terraces, ledges, badlands, canyon rims, colluvial slopes, toeslopes, hillsides, ridges, mesas, and plateaus. Slopes range from flat to steep at elevations from 1183 to 1603 m. Substrates vary from rapidly drained clay soils to sand derived from colluvium or alluvium, riverine and basaltic cobbles, and sandstone bluffs. This sparsely vegetated shrubland is characterized by <i>Ephedra torreyana</i> with between 1 and 5% cover, usually accompanied by <i>Atriplex confertifolia</i> and/or <i>Atriplex canescens</i> as codominant species with associated shrubs contributing little cover. The herbaceous layer is diverse but contributes only sparse to low cover. Graminoids commonly present include <i>Pleuraphis jamesii, Achnatherum hymenoides</i>, and <i>Bromus tectorum</i>. Forbs are highly variable in composition and include <i>Eriogonum inflatum, Tiquilia latior, Sphaeralcea leptophylla, Stanleya pinnata, Amsonia tomentosa, Sphaeralcea parvifolia, Abronia fragrans</i>, and <i>Chamaesyce fendleri</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.33686.CEGL005801
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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