Name:
Ericameria parryi / Achnatherum hymenoides Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This shrubland association is described from Middle Park in central Colorado and Black Canyon National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area in the Gunnison River valley and likely occurs elsewhere in western Colorado. Stands occur on flats, slopes, ridges, shaly badlands and cut-and-fill slopes. Sites are flat to steep (0-75%), occur between 2191 and 2650 m elevation, and include all aspects, especially westerly and southerly. Stands occur in a variety of disturbed areas, including burned areas, highway cut-and-fill slopes, naturally eroded shale outcrops, and prairie dog towns with varying attributes. The roadcut sites have high cover of bedrock, rocks and gravel. The burned sites have low to high cover of litter and low to moderate exposure of bare soil. The prairie dog town localities have low to high cover of litter and low to high exposure of bare soil. Soils are shallow, rapidly drained to well-drained sandy loams, silty loams, or silty clay loams derived from Quaternary alluvium, Pierre shale and metamorphic rocks or poorly drained clays derived from Pierre shale. The vegetation is characterized by an open to closed canopy of <i>Ericameria parryi</i> shrubs (1-2 m tall) that ranges in cover from 5 to 50% with total vegetation cover ranging from 20 to 80%. The remaining shrub layer is low in diversity and cover and includes the short and dwarf-shrubs <i>Amelanchier alnifolia, Artemisia frigida, Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana, Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Mahonia repens</i>, and <i>Symphoricarpos rotundifolius</i>. The herbaceous layer is diverse and variable among sites, providing sparse to low cover. Common graminoids provide low cover and include <i>Achnatherum hymenoides, Elymus elymoides, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis, Pascopyrum smithii</i>, and introduced annual <i>Bromus tectorum</i>. Forbs provide sparse to low cover, including <i>Artemisia dracunculus, Chaenactis douglasii, Eriogonum brevicaule, Eriogonum cernuum, Lupinus argenteus, Oenothera caespitosa</i>, and introduced species such as <i>Melilotus officinalis</i> and <i>Verbascum thapsus</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:32613-{BC18D80F-93B0-4C3F-A3D0-3A96204FCBEE}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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