Name:
Bouteloua gracilis - Bouteloua dactyloides Xeric Soil Grassland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This blue grama - buffalograss shortgrass prairie is found in the northern Great Plains of the United States and possibly adjacent Canada. Stands occur on very dry slopes. In northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota, it is typically on clay pan depressions that range in size from a few square m to 1 hectare or more, but it can also occur on sandy ridgetops and hillslopes. The vegetation provides moderate to high vegetative cover, typically between 40-90%. <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i> is usually strongly dominant on sandier soils, while <i>Carex filifolia</i> is a strong dominant on clay and silty clay soils at the edge of bluffs and tables. In Badlands National Park, South Dakota, common associates on sandier soils include <i>Pascopyrum smithii, Hesperostipa comata, Bouteloua dactyloides, Aristida purpurea, Bromus arvensis</i>, and a variety of forbs, including <i>Conyza canadensis</i>. Shrubs that are typically observed in this type include <i>Artemisia frigida, Opuntia polyacantha, Yucca glauca</i>, and <i>Gutierrezia sarothrae</i>. Species commonly associated with <i>Carex filifolia</i> on clay and silty clay soils include <i>Hesperostipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Bromus arvensis</i>, and <i>Ratibida columnifera</i>. Typical shrubs are the same as those listed on sandy soils. Forbs in Nebraska include <i>Lomatium foeniculaceum, Monolepis nuttalliana, Musineon divaricatum, Oonopsis multicaulis</i>, and <i>Plantago elongata</i>. Shrubs are sparse to absent, and include <i>Artemisia tridentata, Artemisia cana, Artemisia frigida</i>, and, more westward in Nebraska, <i>Ericameria nauseosa</i> and <i>Sarcobatus vermiculatus</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:31179-{FB6B1210-B780-40CA-9E96-47F7D7FF613A}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
1
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