Name:
Yucca brevifolia Wooded Scrub Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This alliance is generally limited to the Mojave Desert, but may extend into the transition zone with the southern Great Basin. The vegetation is characterized by an emergent (up to 13 m tall) and open canopy of <i>Yucca brevifolia</i> over an open to moderately dense short-shrub layer and/or a perennial graminoid-dominated layer. <i>Yucca brevifolia</i> must be evenly distributed with over 1% total cover. Emergent <i>Quercus turbinella, Pinus monophylla</i>, or <i>Juniperus</i> spp. may be present, but have less than 1% cover. Shrub and ground layers are variable. Shrub species may include <i>Artemisia tridentata, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Coleogyne ramosissima, Ephedra nevadensis, Eriogonum fasciculatum, Larrea tridentata, Lycium andersonii, Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, Salazaria mexicana, Tetradymia axillaris</i>, and <i>Yucca schidigera</i>. If present, the herbaceous layer is usually open to intermittent and is dominated by perennial grasses, such as <i>Achnatherum speciosum, Pleuraphis jamesii</i> (above 1400 m), <i>Pleuraphis rigida</i>, or <i>Poa secunda</i>, and seasonal annuals. Other graminoid species may include <i>Achnatherum hymenoides</i> or <i>Muhlenbergia porteri</i>. Forb cover is mostly from seasonal annuals. Stands are found on gentle to moderate alluvial fans, slopes and ridgetops. Stands occur at mid-elevations ranging from 750 to 2150 m. Soil types and elevation limit the distribution of the vegetation. Soils are derived from colluvial or alluvial deposits and have variable textures, ranging from gravel, coarse sand or loamy, to fine silt.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38436-{E2B64861-A709-4EB4-86EB-596C797CE1BF}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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