Name:
Dasiphora fruticosa / Festuca campestris Shrub Grassland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This shrub herbaceous type is found in northwestern Montana and southern Alberta. It is primarily east of the Continental Divide, and north of the 46th parallel. It usually occurs on gently sloping or rolling topography to somewhat steep slopes (1-45%) at elevations between 1340 and 2015 m (4400-6600 feet). Stands tend to occur on south-facing low and midslopes but can occur on all aspects, and on basin floors. Soil textures are sandy loam, loam to silty clay loam. Soils are moderately deep, moderately to well-drained with 10- to 18 inch rooting depth, and derived from glacial-fluvial deposits of siltstone, limestone or sandstone parent materials. Surface rock can be abundant, but little bare ground is exposed. Vegetation and litter generally exceed 98% cover. It is considered a moderately mesic Rocky Mountain foothill steppe. This association is a high-diversity, foothill, montane to subalpine, mesic dwarf-shrub steppe dominated by <i>Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda </i>and <i>Festuca campestris</i>. <i>Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda</i> is the diagnostic shrub species, and may not be readily visible because of the tall growth of the <i>Festuca campestris</i>. However, not only is <i>Dasiphora</i> present, but it can have canopy cover between 5-30%. In general, higher elevation stands have less overall vegetative cover. Other shrubs that may be present include <i>Rosa woodsii, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Artemisia frigida, Amelanchier alnifolia, Mahonia repens</i>, and <i>Juniperus horizontalis</i>. Herbaceous cover ranges from 40-100% with very high species diversity. Stands at lower elevations have 90-100% herbaceous cover, while higher elevation areas have 40-70% total herbaceous cover. <i>Festuca campestris</i> is the highest of all herbaceous species at 30% average cover. Other high-constancy species include <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata, Bouteloua gracilis, Gaillardia aristata, Lupinus sericeus, Fragaria virginiana, Festuca idahoensis, Penstemon confertus, Galium boreale, Potentilla gracilis, Anemone multifida, Achillea millefolium</i>, and <i>Cerastium arvense</i>. Presence of <i>Danthonia intermedia</i> may be an indicator for more mesic sites with higher productivity.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30412-{0F63C45C-71E0-44ED-8D70-B44FE62A50EE}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
12
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