Name:
Populus angustifolia Riparian Forest Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This alliance consists of riparian forests and woodlands dominated by <i>Populus angustifolia</i> alone or codominated with other deciduous or coniferous trees. Due to the broad north to south geographic scope of this alliance, as well as its elevational range from foothill to subalpine, many other tree species may be present within stands. These include <i>Abies lasiocarpa, Acer grandidentatum, Acer negundo, Juniperus scopulorum, Picea engelmannii, Picea pungens, Pinus ponderosa, Populus balsamifera, Populus deltoides, Pseudotsuga menziesii</i>, and <i>Salix amygdaloides</i>. The shrub layer is dominated by <i>Acer glabrum, Alnus incana, Alnus oblongifolia, Amelanchier alnifolia, Amelanchier utahensis, Artemisia tridentata, Brickellia californica, Cornus sericea, Crataegus rivularis, Juniperus deppeana, Lonicera involucrata, Quercus gambelii, Rosa woodsii, Salix</i> spp., and/or <i>Symphoricarpos occidentalis</i>. Woody vines may be present, such as <i>Clematis ligusticifolia, Humulus lupulus var. lupuloides, Parthenocissus quinquefolia</i>, and <i>Vitis arizonica</i>. The herbaceous undergrowth is often dominated by non-native hay grasses and little forb cover. Common forbs that can be abundant include <i>Achillea millefolium, Heracleum maximum, Maianthemum stellatum, Osmorhiza depauperata</i>, and/or <i>Thalictrum fendleri</i>. This alliance occurs in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. It is also found in the mountains of eastern Oregon, Nevada, California's Sierra Nevada, and the highlands of Arizona. Stands occur on narrow stream terraces and large floodplains. Elevations range from 1200-2750 m (4000-9000 feet). Microtopography is often smooth to gently undulating with slopes between 2 and 5%. Stands generally occur within 1 m vertical distance of flooding high water mark, but can also occur on higher terraces, up to 3 m above the channel. Water tables fluctuate seasonally, subirrigating soils in spring, but often dropping and drying soils by late August. Soils are typically well-drained with large amounts of coarse fragments in the subsurface horizons. The soil textures are fine sandy loams, clay loams, silty clay loams, and silty clay, sometimes with buried thin organic layers. Stands have also been documented on pure sand, where streams bisected sand dunes.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38973-{EA91E1B0-BDF7-41F1-A62A-59886162B853}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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