Name:
Festuca arizonica - Muhlenbergia montana - Poa fendleriana Southern Rocky Mountain Montane Grassland Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
Vegetation of this grassland alliance is characterized by an open to dense perennial graminoid layer composed of bunchgrasses <i>Festuca arizonica</i> and <i>Muhlenbergia montana</i>, which are widespread dominants, with <i>Achnatherum lettermanii, Blepharoneuron tricholepis, Carex duriuscula, Carex rossii, Carex siccata, Elymus lanceolatus, Hesperostipa comata, Muhlenbergia filiculmis, Poa fendleriana, Pseudoroegneria spicata</i>, or <i>Schizachyrium scoparium</i> often present to codominant. Forb species such as <i>Potentilla hippiana</i> may be present to codominant. This alliance occurs largely in the southern Rocky Mountains extending west to the mountains and high plateaus of Arizona, Utah and Nevada and northeast to the Black Hills. It primarily occurs in the montane zone (2440-3050 m [8000-10,000 feet]), but may extend down into the foothills. Stands are typically found in xeric forest openings or parks in the ponderosa pine zone with southern aspects on moderately steep slopes and ridgetops. Occasionally the stands occupy rolling parklands. The xeric nature of sites appears to be an important environmental factor. Soils are moderately deep Mollisols, with high coarse-fragment content, sandy loam textures, and a distinct clay horizon. Parent materials are primarily colluvium derived from granite and gneiss. Bare soil, exposed gravels, and small rocks account for as much as 50% of the ground surface area. These large-patch grasslands are intermixed with matrix stands of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and aspen forests. In limited circumstances (e.g., South Park in Colorado), they form the "matrix" of high-elevation plateaus and inter-montane valleys.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:39163-{B71071F2-CB05-48E1-AFE7-D53C22DA4CF7}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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