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Arctostaphylos uva-ursi / Festuca spp. - Pseudoroegneria spicata Steppe Alliance | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi / Festuca spp. - Pseudoroegneria spicata Steppe Alliance
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: The vegetation of this central Rocky Mountain alliance is characterized by an open to dense, usually patchy dwarf-shrub layer with sparse to moderately dense cover of perennial graminoids and diverse forb associates. <i>Arctostaphylos uva-ursi</i> cover is widely variable (5-75%, averaging 30%) and dominates or codominates the dwarf-shrub layer along with wind-dwarfed <i>Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Juniperus communis, Juniperus horizontalis</i>, or <i>Rosa woodsii</i> shrubs. <i>Festuca campestris, Festuca idahoensis</i>, or <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata</i> typically dominate or codominate the herbaceous layer with 25-35% cover combined. The forb component is highly diverse, though individual stands are not as diverse. Total forb cover is typically less than graminoids (&lt;20%). The forbs with higher constancy or abundance include <i>Achillea millefolium, Agoseris glauca, Anemone multifida, Campanula rotundifolia, Galium boreale, Hedysarum sulphurescens</i>, and <i>Lupinus sericeus</i>. This central Rocky Mountain alliance occurs in the mountains of northwestern Montana and southwestern Alberta. This alliance is a prominent small-patch or linear type found in the subalpine and lower alpine zones and may extend down into the montane zone on exposed ridges. Elevation ranges from 1340 to 2130 m (4400-7000 feet). It occurs predominantly on moderate to steep slopes with southerly exposures, though it has been found on all aspects. Substrates are predominantly limestones and siltstones that have weathered into thin, fine-textured, and well- to excessively drained soils. Adjacent vegetation is usually subalpine or alpine grasslands, or subalpine woodlands or krummholz composed of <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> or <i>Pinus albicaulis</i>. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:39305-{5D75D35F-6709-4185-8D9D-2BAEC07588E1}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 14-Mar-2014 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.905184 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: A4095
  Translated: Kinnikinnick / Fescue species - Bluebunch Wheatgrass Steppe Alliance
  Common: Kinnikinnick / Fescue - Bluebunch Wheatgrass Steppe
  Scientific: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi / Festuca spp. - Pseudoroegneria spicata Steppe Alliance