Login | Datasets | Logout
 

View Community Concepts - Detail

Flourensia cernua / Pleuraphis mutica Shrubland | NatureServe Biotics 2019
  click to update datacart
Name: Flourensia cernua / Pleuraphis mutica Shrubland
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: On White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, this is a major community in the Jornada Del Muerto and Tularosa basins. This type predominantly occurs in swales or broad drainages along lower alluvial plains and basin bottoms, at elevations of 1160 to 2040 m (3800-6700 feet). Generally, slopes are flat to very gentle. Soils are derived from alluvial deposits from the surrounding mountains. Typically, coarse materials are absent from soil surfaces. Ground surfaces are characterized by patches of bare soil and scattered litter. Surface soils range from silty loam to silty clays. This community has a shrub layer dominated by <i>Flourensia cernua</i> with an understory dominated by <i>Pleuraphis mutica</i>. The shrub layer has a moderately open canopy and is evenly spaced across the landscape. Diversity is generally low with <i>Larrea tridentata, Prosopis glandulosa, Lycium berlandieri</i>, and <i>Atriplex canescens</i> common associates. The grassy understory is generally well-represented to luxuriant, but can be patchy in some areas. Overall, the grass layer is moderately diverse and is occupied by large patches of <i>Pleuraphis mutica</i> and intermittent patches of <i>Scleropogon brevifolius</i>. Other common associates include <i>Bouteloua gracilis, Muhlenbergia porteri</i>, and <i>Sporobolus airoides</i>. The forb layer is poorly represented and scattered, growing on both barren patches and within the grasses. <i>Acourtia nana, Solanum elaeagnifolium, Euphorbia dentata</i>, and <i>Phemeranthus aurantiacus</i> are some of the forbs found in this diverse layer. An <i>Atriplex canescens</i> phase may occur, primarily in the southern Tularosa basin. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30450-{33893968-FB52-4976-BAC7-5E389B6F2B07}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 30-Aug-2012 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686030 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: CEGL001541
  Translated: American Tarwort / Tobosa Grass Shrubland
  Scientific: Flourensia cernua / Pleuraphis mutica Shrubland
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(similar) Flourensia cernua / Pleuraphis mutica Shrubland
(similar) CEGL001541
(similar) Flourensia cernua / Pleuraphis mutica Shrubland