Name:
Bouteloua gracilis - Pleuraphis jamesii Grassland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
These grasslands occur on alluvial flats, mesas and plains in the semi-arid southwestern Great Plains and the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Colorado, New Mexico, northern Arizona and southern Utah. Elevation ranges from 1625-2230 m (5330-6110 feet) in central and western New Mexico and on the Colorado Plateau and extends below 1525 m (5000 feet) in the southwestern Great Plains. Sites are flat to undulating, with shallow to moderately deep, loam to silty clay loam-textured soils. In western New Mexico, it is typically found on gently rolling, weathered, lava plateaus with substrates derived from volcanic basalt, but occasionally on gentle sideslopes of low hills on alluvium derived from sandstone. The ground surface is characterized by scattered bunchgrasses intermixed with exposed soil and litter; there may also be a strong component of gravel and rock. Stands are codominated by the graminoids <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i> and <i>Pleuraphis jamesii</i>. These short and medium-tall perennial bunchgrasses may form a sod-like ground cover with patches of bare ground, especially where grazing by livestock encourages a prostrate growth form. Canopy cover is relatively sparse to moderately dense (20-80% cover). Other grasses include <i>Bouteloua dactyloides, Muhlenbergia torreyi, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Aristida</i> spp., <i>Achnatherum hymenoides, Pascopyrum smithii, Hesperostipa comata</i>, or <i>Hesperostipa neomexicana</i>. Forb cover is generally sparse but may be diverse. Characteristic species include <i>Cryptantha</i> spp., <i>Grindelia squarrosa, Machaeranthera pinnatifida, Ratibida</i> spp., <i>Sphaeralcea coccinea</i>, and <i>Zinnia grandiflora</i>. Scattered dwarf-shrubs, shrubs and cacti, such as <i>Artemisia bigelovii, Artemisia frigida, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Cylindropuntia imbricata, Opuntia polyacantha, Prosopis glandulosa</i> (southern stands), and <i>Yucca glauca</i>, are not uncommon. Codominance of <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i> and <i>Pleuraphis jamesii</i> distinguishes this vegetation from several closely related grasslands. Seedling and sapling <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> and <i>Pinus edulis</i>, when present, are scattered in these grasslands, and shrubs are scarce (making up less than 2% of cover) and most commonly represented by <i>Gutierrezia sarothrae</i> and <i>Ericameria nauseosa</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30668-{70599CA4-EFA4-493E-A7F2-2EC51F7BD36D}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
