Name:
Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex confertifolia - (Picrothamnus desertorum, Suaeda moquinii) Wet Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This short-shrub association occurs on high alluvial terraces and canyon bottoms, as well as in the outer ring of palustrine or lacustrine wetlands on basin floors. Stands are reported from scattered sites in the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah, the Great Basin of northern Nevada, and the Columbia Basin of southeastern Oregon. This association is located high enough above the flood zone or water table that there is rarely standing water on the ground surface. Sites are generally level or gently sloping and occur between 1125 and 1300 m (3700-4300 feet) elevation in Nevada and between 1525 and 1830 m (5000-6000 feet) elevation in Utah. Most of the unvegetated ground surface is bare soil. Parent materials include alluvium, lake bottom deposits and eolian loess. Soils are deep, saline, well-drained sands, sandy loams or sandy clays. Total vegetation cover rarely exceeds 40%; the vegetation is characterized by a mixed shrub canopy of <i>Sarcobatus vermiculatus</i> generally accompanied by lesser amounts of <i>Atriplex confertifolia</i> and <i>Suaeda moquinii</i>. Other associated shrubs are sparse and variable, including <i>Allenrolfea occidentalis, Picrothamnus desertorum, Atriplex canescens, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Tetradymia spinosa</i>, and <i>Opuntia polyacantha</i>. The herbaceous layer provides sparse to moderate cover. Graminoids vary throughout the range, but common species include <i>Bromus tectorum, Distichlis spicata, Elymus elymoides, Sporobolus airoides, Sporobolus contractus</i>, and <i>Sporobolus cryptandrus</i>. Forbs provide variable cover as they tend to be dominated by annual exotics, such as <i>Bassia hyssopifolia, Lepidium perfoliatum, Salsola tragus</i>, and <i>Halogeton glomeratus</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30280-{B2E566A1-2F26-42D6-BCBA-35E44BBA406C}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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