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Larrea tridentata / Muhlenbergia porteri Shrubland | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Larrea tridentata / Muhlenbergia porteri Shrubland
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: This major Chihuahuan Desert community occupies piedmonts extending out from the San Andres Mountains into the Tularosa basin of New Mexico. Additional stands are less frequent, but present, on the Malpais Lava Flow and within the Jornada del Muerto basin. Regionally, occurrences are common throughout the Southwest, into west Texas, across northern Mexico, and into Arizona and probably southern California. This shrubland type occurs on all aspects and across various landforms at low elevations. However, it is most prevalent on gentle to moderate slopes of remnant alluvial fan platform summits. Here the soils are often calcareous with silty to sandy loam alluvial layers overlying sandy horizons and ground surfaces consisting of near equal distributions of gravel and bare soil, with occasional scattered rocks. This open and generally tall shrubland is dominated by <i>Larrea tridentata</i> and has a characteristic distribution of <i>Muhlenbergia porteri</i> dominating underneath or within the shrub canopy. The shrub layer is diverse and may include <i>Prosopis glandulosa</i> (a suggested phase), or scattered <i>Parthenium incanum</i>, various pad cacti, <i>Gutierrezia sarothrae, Atriplex canescens</i>, and <i>Flourensia cernua</i> (usually at lower elevations). The inter-shrub spaces are usually sparsely vegetated with scattered grasses and forbs such as <i>Dasyochloa pulchella</i> (usually less than 1% average cover), <i>Bahia absinthifolia</i>, and <i>Acourtia nana</i>. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30181-{DEE289A3-F49D-428B-BCAB-EEF0091279B0}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 30-Aug-2012 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687586 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: CEGL001272
  Translated: Creosotebush / Bush Muhly Shrubland
  Scientific: Larrea tridentata / Muhlenbergia porteri Shrubland
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(similar) CEGL001272
(similar) Larrea tridentata / Muhlenbergia porteri Shrubland
(similar) Larrea tridentata / Muhlenbergia porteri Shrubland