Name:
Geum rossii - Trifolium spp. Alpine Turf
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This vegetation association has been described from the alpine zone of the Absaroka Mountains of northwestern Wyoming, the Beartooth Plateau of northwestern Wyoming, south-central Montana, and the Front Range of Colorado. Stands typically occur on sites where little snow accumulates but that are somewhat protected from the wind; they also occur on sites with moderate snow accumulation. Sites vary from gentle to steep lower to high slopes. Communities codominated by <i>Trifolium parryi</i> tend to be more wind-protected and accumulate more snow. Substrates are variable but tend to be shallow rocky, sandy loam soils, but sometimes are moderately deep, well-developed coarse-textured soils with high organic content. The vegetation is characterized by an open to dense herbaceous layer dominated by a combination of upright forbs and cushion plants with few graminoids. <i>Geum rossii var. turbinatum</i> dominates or codominates with a series of cushion plants (especially <i>Trifolium nanum, Trifolium dasyphyllum</i>, or <i>Trifolium parryi</i>, as well as <i>Artemisia scopulorum, Arenaria congesta, Arenaria fendleri, Gentiana algida, Minuartia obtusiloba, Paronychia pulvinata, Phlox multiflora, Sedum lanceolatum, Silene acaulis, Smelowskia calycina, Tonestus pygmaeus</i>); upright forbs (especially <i>Erigeron simplex, Polygonum bistortoides, Polygonum viviparum, Cerastium arvense, Lomatium cous, Oxytropis parryi, Potentilla diversifolia</i>, and <i>Besseya wyomingensis</i>) may contribute substantial cover. <i>Calamagrostis purpurascens, Carex albonigra, Carex ebenea, Carex nardina, Carex heteroneura var. chalciolepis, Carex obtusata, Carex rupestris var. drummondiana, Deschampsia cespitosa, Festuca brachyphylla, Luzula spicata, Poa</i> spp., and <i>Trisetum spicatum</i> are the most common graminoids. Some stands may contain low cover (5% cover or less) of dwarf-shrubs such as <i>Artemisia arctica ssp. arctica, Salix reticulata, Salix brachycarpa</i>, or <i>Vaccinium scoparium</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:30879-{E7E23A49-E3EF-44C6-B603-E61DB35C6895}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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