Name:
Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association is currently described only from the Mojave Desert Network. Additional global information will be added as it becomes available. It is uncommon in Death Valley National Park in California and was sampled twice at upper elevation in a post-burn area of Porter Peak within the Panamint Mountains. Another stand was observed along Saline Valley Road in the Nelson Range. Elevation ranges from approximately 2600 to 2800 m, and averages 2710 m. The association is found on various aspects on somewhat steep to steep slopes (25-27°). Soils are derived from sandstone in the two stands sampled. Most stands of this association are associated with relatively recent fires. <i>Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus</i> is an obligate seeder, and its seedlings germinate post-fire and attain dominance. Other longer-lived shrubs become (co)dominant upon decades of time after disturbance. Other stands of this association occur further east in California in the Transverse Ranges to southern Sierra Nevada and Sierra Nevada foothills in recent post-burn settings, including in San Gabriel Mountains National Forest in Los Angeles County and in the Sequoia National Forest in Kern County. A similar taxon, <i>Ceanothus greggii var. perplexans</i>, dominates in chapparal stands in post-burn settings, including in the Peninsular Ranges and desert transition areas such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998a). Vegetation forms an open to intermittent shrub canopy in which the shrub cover ranges from 26 to 50%. An emergent tree layer is sparse at 1% cover, and the herb understory is variable and ranges from 24 to 26% cover. <i>Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus</i> is the dominant shrub in the overstory, while <i>Artemisia tridentata</i> and <i>Eriogonum umbellatum</i> are characteristic. Other shrubs often present include <i>Chamaebatiaria millefolium, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Eriogonum microthecum, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Holodiscus discolor, Monardella linoides, Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea, Purshia stansburiana, Salvia pachyphylla</i>, and <i>Tetradymia canescens</i>. Dominant and characteristic herbs include <i>Bromus tectorum, Chaenactis douglasii, Eriogonum nidularium</i>, and <i>Heliomeris multiflora</i>, and those often present are <i>Achnatherum hymenoides, Achnatherum parishii, Argemone corymbosa, Bromus rubens, Castilleja linariifolia, Eriogonum eremicola, Eriogonum panamintense, Eriophyllum, Linanthus pungens, Lupinus</i> spp., <i>Lupinus caudatus ssp. caudatus, Mimulus bigelovii</i>, and <i>Penstemon rostriflorus</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:37461-{024228DA-82AC-479B-9FD0-4D92F0B854D0}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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