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Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Luzula glabrata Woodland | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Luzula glabrata Woodland
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: This association is a minor one, occurring as small-patch occurrences at the highest subalpine elevations within the northern Rocky Mountains, southern portion of the Canadian Rockies and west to the eastern slope of the Cascade Range. Across the core area of its distribution its known elevational range is 1830 to 2500 m (6000-8200 feet). It occupies cold sites that receive snow in excess of what is received by surrounding topography and also retains the snow cache late into summer. Sites may occur on all aspects and degrees of slope so long as snowpack is long-persisting. Parent materials are various, including extrusive and intrusive volcanics (primarily granitics), sedimentary colluvium and morainal detritus; regardless of parent material, kind/source soils weather to coarse-textured, extremely acidic soils (usually less than pH of 4.2). Stands are usually very open with short-stature <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> and <i>Picea engelmannii</i> dominating the canopy. Scattered seral tree species include <i>Pinus albicaulis</i> and <i>Pinus contorta</i>. The shrub component is generally depauperate with thin patches of a variable mix of <i>Vaccinium scoparium, Vaccinium membranaceum</i> (dwarfed in size to less than 0.2 m), <i>Lonicera utahensis, Ribes montigenum</i>, and <i>Phyllodoce empetriformis</i>. The forb component is strongly dominated by <i>Luzula glabrata</i>, which can occur as a dense sward (cover approaching 100%) to the near exclusion of other herbs. <i>Arnica latifolia</i> is universally the most abundant and constant forb in a very depauperate layer. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:29226-{F8A60C00-4EA1-4005-AC23-043AC9023CFE}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 1
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 07-Jul-2005 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689997 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: CEGL000317
  Translated: Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce / Smooth Woodrush Woodland
  Scientific: Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Luzula glabrata Woodland
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(similar) CEGL000317
(similar) Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii Woodland
(similar) Abies lasiocarpa / Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii Forest