Name:
Atriplex confertifolia / Achnatherum hymenoides Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This plant association occurs predominantly in the Colorado Plateau, Columbia Plateau, and Great Basin in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah, and is also purported to occur in California and Wyoming. Low-growing <i>Atriplex confertifolia</i> is the dominant shrub, usually with up to 15% cover, although other shrubs, including <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Ephedra torreyana, Grayia spinosa, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Opuntia polyacantha, Picrothamnus desertorum, Psorothamnus fremontii</i>, and <i>Sarcobatus vermiculatus</i>, may also be present in low amounts. In high-quality, ungrazed stands <i>Achnatherum hymenoides</i> may have up to 20% cover and dominates the otherwise sparse herbaceous understory. <i>Elymus elymoides, Hesperostipa comata, Pleuraphis jamesii, Poa fendleriana, Poa secunda</i> and <i>Sporobolus cryptandrus</i> are often present with low cover. Forbs have low cover and diversity, but vary greatly across the range of this association. Some locally common species include <i>Eriogonum</i> spp., <i>Phacelia crenulata var. corrugata, Phlox hoodii, Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia, Thelypodium flexuosum</i>, and <i>Townsendia florifer</i>. Total cover is often less than 25%. Stands degraded by excessive livestock grazing have abundant <i>Bromus tectorum</i> or <i>Salsola tragus</i> in the understory and higher total herbaceous cover. This plant association is widely scattered on colluvial slopes, benches, mesas, plateaus, and gullies within the <i>Atriplex confertifolia</i> zone and is best developed in sites with an alkaline, yet coarse-textured soil. Elevations range from 1250 to 1780 m (4100-5840 feet) in Utah and Colorado. The association is typically found on well-drained, alkaline soils derived from volcanic tuff or shale that often have been modified by alluvial deposits. Bare ground or small rocks cover most of the unvegetated surface. Biological soil crusts may be sparse or well-developed and have up to 34% cover.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30220-{2204D4CA-E7C7-4D1E-B4BB-723BC4FE38C4}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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