Name:
Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana - Ephedra viridis Shrubland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association is common on upper-elevation slopes and ridges in the northern Mojave Desert and the southern Great Basin in Arizona, California and Nevada. Stands also occur in the southeastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California. It forms an open shrub canopy (3-28% cover) and is codominated by characteristic shrubs <i>Ephedra viridis</i> and <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana</i> often with <i>Eriogonum fasciculatum</i> present. Other common shrubs include <i>Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Ericameria nauseosa, Eriogonum heermannii, Gutierrezia microcephala, Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea, Purshia glandulosa, Purshia stansburiana, Ribes velutinum</i>, and/or <i>Tetradymia canescens</i>. The herbaceous layer is variable with sparse to open or patchy cover (0-17%) with common associates <i>Elymus elymoides, Eriogonum umbellatum, Heliomeris multiflora var. multiflora, Lupinus x alpestris</i>, and <i>Poa secunda</i>. Scattered emergent <i>Pinus monophylla, Juniperus osteosperma, Juniperus californica</i>, and <i>Yucca brevifolia</i> trees may be present with <4% cover. Stands are found primarily on the midslope to high slope topographic positions on rocky erosional highlands along gentle upper slopes to steep ridgelines at 1500 to 2920 m elevation. Sites are typically somewhat steep to steep slopes, although they range from gentle to steep (2-39°) with variable aspects. Substrates are well-drained, rocky to gravelly soils that are variable and include clays, sand, and loams derived from bedrock, colluvium, or alluvium derived from a variety of parent materials, but primarily granodiorite, rhyolite, and sandstone. Although fire is a natural component of this community, large, high-frequency fires are detrimental.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:37530-{22121EB7-4462-46A8-9274-869A828B343B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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