Name:
Atriplex confertifolia - Atriplex canescens - Grayia spinosa Scrub Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This extensive group includes open-canopied shrublands of typically saline basins, alluvial slopes and plains across the intermountain western U.S. and western Great Plains. The vegetation is characterized by a typically open to moderately dense shrubland composed of one or more <i>Atriplex</i> species, such as <i>Atriplex canescens, Atriplex confertifolia, Atriplex cuneata, Atriplex hymenelytra, Atriplex obovata</i>, or <i>Atriplex polycarpa</i>. Other shrubs present to codominant may include <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Ericameria nauseosa, Ephedra nevadensis, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Grayia spinosa, Lycium</i> spp., <i>Picrothamnus desertorum</i>, or <i>Tetradymia</i> spp. Northern occurrences lack <i>Atriplex</i> species and are typically dominated by <i>Grayia spinosa</i>. In Wyoming, occurrences are typically a mix of <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Atriplex confertifolia, Grayia spinosa, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Sarcobatus vermiculatus</i>, and various <i>Ericameria</i> or <i>Chrysothamnus</i> species. Some places are a mix of <i>Atriplex confertifolia</i> and <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis</i>. In the Great Basin, <i>Sarcobatus vermiculatus</i> is generally absent but, if present, does not codominate. The herbaceous layer varies from sparse to moderately dense and is dominated by perennial graminoids such as <i>Achnatherum hymenoides, Bouteloua gracilis, Elymus lanceolatus ssp. lanceolatus, Pascopyrum smithii, Pleuraphis jamesii, Pleuraphis rigida, Poa secunda</i>, or <i>Sporobolus airoides</i>. Various forbs are also present. Substrates are often saline and calcareous, medium- to fine-textured, alkaline soils, but include some coarser-textured soils.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40059-{051DBB99-BA8C-4C46-A4AD-65A8DC21DB2B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
