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Cercocarpus montanus / Hesperostipa neomexicana Shrubland | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Cercocarpus montanus / Hesperostipa neomexicana Shrubland Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019 Description: This is a major community throughout the San Andres and Oscura mountains of New Mexico. This type may occur elsewhere in the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, and possibly northern Mexico. This association occurs on moderate to steep slopes. It is commonly found on nose or sideslopes of escarpment faces, or along dip slopes. It can also occur on alluvial deposits of mountain valleys or upper portions of basin alluvial fans. It occurs predominantly on northerly aspects at elevations of 1520 to 2130 m (5000-7000 feet). Substrates are typically Paleozoic limestone. However, stands can occasionally occur on sandstone. Escarpment stands are characterized by loose rock and gravel with occasional scattered boulders. Dip slope stands (low to upper slopes) are characterized by loose rock and gravel overlaying bedrock; bedrock exposure is typically high. Soils are derived from limestone and are generally distributed in patchy accumulations or between fractures in the bedrock. Soils are typically shallow with horizons of silt loam to clay loam in a rocky matrix (loamy and clayey skeletal Mollisols and Aridisols). Surface textures generally range between sandy loam and silty clay loams. This community is characterized by a shrub layer clearly dominated by <i>Cercocarpus montanus</i>, with a grassy understory dominated by <i>Hesperostipa neomexicana</i>. The shrub canopy can be very open with <i>Cercocarpus montanus</i> widely spaced and tall and with low-lying shrubs scattered in between. <i>Yucca baccata, Viguiera stenoloba, Rhus trilobata, Opuntia phaeacantha, Nolina microcarpa, Krascheninnikovia lanata</i>, and <i>Dalea formosa</i> are common associates of this diverse shrubland (36 shrubs). <i>Pinus edulis</i> and <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> (juvenile, mature, or standing dead) are common in higher elevation stands. The grass layer is well-represented to luxuriant in cover. <i>Bouteloua curtipendula</i> and <i>Aristida purpurea</i> may occasionally codominate with <i>Hesperostipa neomexicana</i>. Other common grasses are <i>Eragrostis intermedia, Muhlenbergia setifolia</i> (near ridgetops), <i>Bouteloua eriopoda</i>, and <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i>. Forb diversity is moderate (26 species). <i>Viguiera dentata</i> grows near shrub canopies. <i>Melampodium leucanthum, Chamaesyce fendleri, Tetraneuris scaposa</i>, and <i>Lesquerella fendleri</i> are also common, but generally grow in between shrubs.  Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:31813-{BDA174FD-C289-411B-BCE5-4F7F487AB432} Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
	Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization) Perspective from: 30-Aug-2012 to: ongoing
	status: accepted Community's Parent: Cercocarpus montanus - Quercus x pauciloba Shrubland Alliance This Community's Level: Association This Community's Children: [none]		Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689537 NatureServe Explorer   Code: CEGL002911   Translated: Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany / New Mexico Feathergrass Shrubland   Scientific: Cercocarpus montanus / Hesperostipa neomexicana Shrubland (convergence) and Synonyms: (similar) CEGL002911 (similar) Cercocarpus montanus / Hesperostipa neomexicana Shrubland (similar) Cercocarpus montanus / Hesperostipa neomexicana Shrubland