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Eriogonum microthecum Dwarf-shrubland Alliance | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Eriogonum microthecum Dwarf-shrubland Alliance
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: Vegetation included in this alliance has a sparse woody layer that is dominated by the dwarf-shrub <i>Eriogonum microthecum</i> and occurs in rather fine-scale mosaic patterns. Some stands may have <i>Eriogonum strictum</i> instead of, or in addition to, <i>Eriogonum microthecum</i>. The herbaceous layer is also sparse and composed of a relatively even mix of forbs and grasses. Other characteristic species include forbs, such as <i>Achillea millefolium, Chaenactis douglasii, Erysimum asperum, Oenothera caespitosa, Phacelia heterophylla, Polygonum douglasii, Physaria oregona</i>, and the grass <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata</i>. Moss and lichen are nearly absent, likely because of the instability of the slopes. Exotic species, namely <i>Bromus tectorum</i>, often make up a significant portion of the vegetation cover in these stands. This minor dwarf-shrubland alliance occurs in portions of the Snake and Imnaha river canyons in Idaho and eastern Oregon and Washington. Precipitation primarily occurs in the winter as snow or rain. This moisture is stored in the soil profile and utilized during the typically dry summers. Stands are typically found on highly weathered basalt outcrops in the canyons. Sites are very hot and dry, occurring on moderate to steep slopes with southern or western aspects. Soils are very shallow, coarse-textured, and well-drained with a high percentage of rock fragments. The soil surface has a high cover of pea-sized gravel and sand with cobbles. Parent material is colluvium and residuum derived from a unique, highly fractured, hydrothermally altered basalt lava. Chemically, this substrate is alkaline with low organic matter and high cation-exchange capacity of calcium and soluble sodium. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38166-{52AB9955-253D-40E6-9491-4C2629DDFB3B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 14-Mar-2014 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899074 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: A1107
  Translated: Slender Buckwheat Dwarf-shrubland Alliance
  Common: Slender Buckwheat Dwarf-shrubland
  Scientific: Eriogonum microthecum Dwarf-shrubland Alliance
(convergence) and Synonyms:
(similar) A.1107
(similar) Eriogonum microthecum Dwarf-shrubland Alliance