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Deschampsia caespitosa - Artemisia lindleyana Herbaceous Vegetation | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Deschampsia caespitosa - Artemisia lindleyana Herbaceous Vegetation Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of... Description: This association is found only along the shores of the Columbia River in Washington (and very rarely in Oregon) in the western Cascades. It occurs on silty portions of gravel and cobble bars that are seasonally flooded. The association is a codominance of the grass <i>Deschampsia caespitosa</i> and the forb <i>Artemisia lindleyana</i>; the total herbaceous cover is open to semi-open. A foliose lichen, <i>Dermatocarpon</i> sp., covers much of the exposed cobble or gravel.<br><br>From Christy (2004): Habitat is cobble beds and silt along the Columbia River at the western end of the Columbia River Gorge. The cobble beds are inundated when Bonneville Dam releases surplus water, usually in spring, and may be 1-2 feet above the summer water levels. <i>Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra</i> and <i>Fraxinus latifolia</i> may be present as seedlings or at shrub height. <i>Salix fluviatilis</i> is the principal species in the shrub layer, but <i>Amorpha fruticosa</i> is rapidly spreading along the riverbanks (Glad and Halse 1993). <i>Deschampsia caespitosa</i> was not recorded from one of the two plots sampled here but was present nearby and is also present in the Oregon site, and so is considered to be the principal species in the herb layer with at least 35% cover. <i>Artemisia lindleyana</i> is present with an average cover of 23%, and <i>Coreopsis tinctoria var. atkinsoniana</i> is a consistent associate but with very low percent cover. The other 14 species in the herb layer are scarce, and over half of them are exotics, but inundation and scouring by winter flows keep their cover low. The cobbles are coated with silt and covered with the lichen <i>Dermatocarpon luridum (= Dermatocarpon fluviatile)</i>. Both <i>Artemisia lindleyana</i> and <i>Coreopsis tinctoria var. atkinsoniana</i> are more typical of riparian areas of eastern Oregon and Washington. The association is currently known only from both sides of the river between the Pierce Island-Beacon Rock area and the Sandy River delta, where cobbles and silt predominate. The plots on the Washington side of the river are in good condition, but those on the Oregon side are weedy. More plots are needed to adequately describe this association, but it may be difficult to find remnants in good condition. It is probable that this association extended much further upriver, possibly throughout the Columbia River Gorge and into eastern Oregon, but all these areas are now drowned behind a series of dams. It should be sought in the free-flowing section of the river in the Hanford Reach of Washington.  Accession Code: VB.CC.33726.CEGL003425 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.2.685711 NatureServe Explorer   Scientific: Deschampsia caespitosa - Artemisia lindleyana Herbaceous Vegetation   Code: CEGL003425   Translated: Tufted Hairgrass - Columbia River Wormwood Herbaceous Vegetation