Name:
Carnegiea gigantea - Parkinsonia microphylla - Prosopis velutina Desert Scrub Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This Sonoran Desert scrub is characterized by a diagnostic sparse, emergent tree layer of <i>Carnegiea gigantea</i> (3-16 m tall) and/or a sparse to moderately dense canopy codominated by xeromorphic deciduous and evergreen tall shrubs <i>Parkinsonia microphylla</i> and <i>Larrea tridentata</i>, with <i>Prosopis velutina, Olneya tesota</i>, and <i>Fouquieria splendens</i> (less prominent). Other common shrubs and dwarf-shrubs present include <i>Acacia greggii, Ambrosia deltoidea, Ambrosia dumosa</i> (in drier sites), <i>Calliandra eriophylla, Encelia farinosa, Jatropha cardiophylla, Krameria erecta, Lycium</i> spp., <i>Menodora scabra, Psilostrophe cooperi, Simmondsia chinensis, Tetracoccus hallii, Zinnia grandiflora</i>, and many cacti, including <i>Echinocereus</i> spp., <i>Ferocactus</i> spp., <i>Cylindropuntia bigelovii, Opuntia engelmannii</i>, and <i>Cylindropuntia fulgida</i> (both cholla and prickly-pear). The sparse herbaceous layer is composed of perennial grasses and forbs with annuals seasonally present and occasionally abundant. Stands occur on rocky slopes of hills, mesas, and alluvial fans. Elevation is typically below 1220 m. Sites have gentle to steep slopes. Substrates are generally coarse-textured, shallow, gravelly loams.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38569-{DC7C9ACE-8438-4971-B3FC-6AAAE294B3E7}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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