Name:
Dasylirion wheeleri / Bouteloua curtipendula Shrub Grassland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
On White Sands Missile Range this is a major community of the Oscura, San Andres, and San Augustine mountains. This type occurs on steep rocky scarps and dip slopes at various aspects, but is more frequently found on warmer exposures. Elevations range from 1550 to 1980 m (5100-6500 feet). Substrates are derived from limestone, sandstone, granite and rhyolite. Soils are shallow and rocky, but surface soil characteristics vary with parent material. On limestone, soils tend to be finer textured, thus potentially hindering infiltration. Granitic soils, by contrast, are usually coarse and well-drained, which creates a relatively more mesic environment. This Chihuahuan Desert grassland is characterized by a diverse mix of bunchgrasses. <i>Bouteloua curtipendula</i> is well-represented and dominant, while <i>Bouteloua eriopoda, Aristida purpurea, Bouteloua hirsuta</i>, and <i>Eragrostis intermedia</i> are common to well-represented and may codominate. In the shrub layer, <i>Dasylirion wheeleri</i> is well-represented and a conspicuous indicator. Other desert indicators include <i>Parthenium incanum, Fouquieria splendens, Aloysia wrightii, Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera</i>, and <i>Viguiera stenoloba</i>. Of the 75 forbs known from this association, <i>Artemisia ludoviciana, Eriogonum wrightii, Melampodium leucanthum, Machaeranthera pinnatifida var. pinnatifida, Notholaena standleyi, Trixis californica</i>, and <i>Bahia absinthifolia</i> are the most constant.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30502-{BA4110AD-F4D0-44E8-98D4-22E5B742613A}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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