Name:
Ephedra californica - Ephedra trifurca Desert Wash Scrub Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This alliance is characterized by an open shrub layer with <i>Ephedra californica</i> or <i>Ephedra trifurca</i> dominant or codominant with <i>Adenophyllum cooperi, Ambrosia dumosa, Cleome isomeris, Hymenoclea salsola, Larrea tridentata, Lycium andersonii, Cylindropuntia ramosissima</i>, and <i>Senecio flaccidus</i>. Cismontane stands may include <i>Atriplex spinifera, Eastwoodia elegans, Eriogonum fasciculatum, Eriophyllum confertiflorum</i>, or <i>Gutierrezia californica</i>. The emergent tree layer, when present, is typically sparse, and the herbaceous layer is sparse to open. <i>Schismus</i> spp. are dominant herbs, and <i>Adenophyllum cooperi, Bromus rubens</i>, and <i>Erodium cicutarium</i> are characteristic herbs. Cryptogamic crust is typically present. Stands are scattered throughout the Mojave, Sonoran, and Colorado desert sections of California, and into the inner central Coast Ranges, including the Carrizo Plain National Monument. In the Mojave Desert, the alliance is found at elevations ranging from approximately 750 to 1450 m primarily in dry washes at all aspects. The soils are sandy alluvium derived primarily from granitoid substrates and sometimes rhyolite. Some stands are associated with sandsheets, dunes, and other sandy and austere substrates. On these non-alluvial substrates, the stands often associate with perennial grasses such as <i>Pleuraphis rigida, Poa secunda, Achnatherum hymenoides</i>, and <i>Achnatherum speciosum</i>, as well as various annual herbs. The isolated stands of <i>Ephedra californica</i> found in the inner Coast Ranges are found on ancient, stabilized, diatomaceous dunes and old silty alluvium.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38353-{70CA59BD-C95D-4713-8FA4-001491E4CBE5}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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