Name:
Quercus oblongifolia / Bouteloua curtipendula Scrub
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This encinal association occurs in southeastern Arizona on gently to moderately sloping alluvial plains and bajadas to steep rocky slopes in canyons, foothills and mountains. Elevation ranges from 1370-1610 m (4500-5300 feet). Aspects are variable, but it appears more common on less xeric northern aspects and palustrine habitats in drier portions of its range. Soils are gravelly or stony sandy loams or sandy clay loams, derived from a mixture of alluvium and colluvium. The vegetation is characterized by an open to moderately dense evergreen tall-shrub layer (10-60% cover) dominated by <i>Quercus oblongifolia</i>. Shrub canopy is typically 3-5 m tall but may extend beyond 5 m and resemble a woodland or tree savanna. <i>Quercus arizonica, Quercus emoryi, Prosopis</i> spp., <i>Juniperus deppeana</i>, and occasional <i>Pinus discolor</i> may be present in the woody canopy. Associated shrubs and succulents include <i>Agave palmeri, Acacia constricta, Arctostaphylos pungens, Brickellia</i> spp., <i>Dasylirion wheeleri, Ericameria laricifolia, Eriogonum wrightii, Eysenhardtia orthocarpa, Garrya wrightii, Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera, Mimosa dysocarpa, Nolina microcarpa, Opuntia phaeacantha, Cylindropuntia spinosior, Rhus trilobata</i>, and <i>Yucca madrensis</i>. The graminoid layer is moderately dense to dense (25-80% cover) and is typically dominated by medium-tall bunchgrasses such as <i>Bouteloua curtipendula, Schizachyrium cirratum</i>, or <i>Muhlenbergia emersleyi</i>, but it can also be very diverse. Other common graminoids may include <i>Aristida ternipes, Bouteloua chondrosioides, Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, Bouteloua hirsuta, Bothriochloa barbinodis, Eragrostis intermedia, Leptochloa dubia, Muhlenbergia longiligula</i>, and <i>Piptochaetium fimbriatum</i>. The usually sparse, but often diverse, forb layer is composed of <i>Artemisia ludoviciana, Commelina</i> spp., <i>Chenopodium</i> spp., <i>Evolvulus</i> spp., <i>Hybanthus attenuatus, Ipomoea cristulata, Mirabilis longiflora, Viguiera</i> spp., and many others. Diagnostic of this association is the dominance of <i>Quercus oblongifolia</i> in the tall-shrub canopy with at least 5% cover and a grassy understory.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:29882-{88A36046-A57B-4438-B020-8B0D9A4FA8DC}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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