Name:
Pinus cembroides - Pinus discolor - Pinus edulis / Shrub Understory Woodland Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This Madrean pinyon-juniper woodland alliance occurs in foothills and lower montane zones of southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico, extending into western Texas and northern Mexico. These open to moderately dense woodlands have 10-60% cover of pinyon and juniper trees with shrubs in the understory forming an open to dense short-shrub layer. The presence of Madrean pinyons <i>Pinus cembroides, Pinus discolor</i>, or <i>Pinus remota</i> is diagnostic of this alliance. Junipers may be absent to dominant in the tree canopy with <i>Juniperus coahuilensis, Juniperus deppeana, Juniperus flaccida</i>, or <i>Juniperus pinchotii</i> trees being characteristic. <i>Pinus edulis</i> and <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> may be present to dominant when diagnostic Madrean species are present. Evergreen oaks such as <i>Quercus arizonica, Quercus emoryi, Quercus gravesii</i>, or <i>Quercus grisea</i> are often present in the tree canopy but have lower total cover than conifers. The shrub layer is composed of a variety of shrubs and rosettes such as <i>Agave lechuguilla, Agave lechuguilla, Arctostaphylos pungens, Cercocarpus montanus var. paucidentatus, Mimosa dysocarpa, Quercus emoryi, Quercus gambelii, Quercus graciliformis, Quercus hypoleucoides, Quercus mohriana, Quercus pungens, Quercus rugosa, Quercus toumeyi, Quercus turbinella, Quercus x pauciloba, Rhus trilobata</i>, and <i>Salvia regla</i>. Perennial graminoid cover is typically low and patchy because of high shrub cover on rocky sites. Herbaceous species are numerous and typical of the Chihuahuan Desert or Madrean foothills and include <i>Muhlenbergia emersleyi, Muhlenbergia pauciflora, Muhlenbergia setifolia, Piptochaetium fimbriatum</i>, and <i>Piptochaetium pringlei</i>. Stands are typically found on cool aspects in canyons and on steep scarp slopes at elevations of 1400 to 2200 m. Substrates are generally shallow, rocky soils but include deeper loamy soils, especially on sites where trees have recently colonized.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38419-{5FAD15B0-009F-44BE-B3CD-0FE898E4C36F}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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