Name:
Atriplex corrugata - Atriplex gardneri - Artemisia pedatifida Dwarf-Scrub Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This semi-arid dwarf-shrub scrub group occurs in the interior western U.S. and is found on windswept basins and plains, often on marine shales. The vegetation is characterized by an open canopy of dwarf-shrubs composed of relatively pure stands of <i>Artemisia pedatifida</i> (important in Wyoming), <i>Atriplex corrugata</i> (western Colorado and Utah), or <i>Atriplex gardneri</i> (central Wyoming). Other dominant or codominant dwarf-shrubs may include <i>Artemisia longifolia, Artemisia pygmaea</i>, or <i>Picrothamnus desertorum</i>, sometimes with a mix of other low shrubs, such as <i>Krascheninnikovia lanata</i> or <i>Tetradymia spinosa</i>. Occasional individuals or small clumps of <i>Atriplex confertifolia, Atriplex canescens</i>, or <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis</i> may be present in some stands within this group but do not codominate. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse. Scattered perennial forbs occur, such as <i>Xylorhiza glabriuscula</i> and <i>Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia</i>; perennial grasses <i>Achnatherum hymenoides, Bouteloua gracilis</i> (not in Wyoming), <i>Elymus elymoides, Elymus lanceolatus ssp. lanceolatus, Pascopyrum smithii, Poa secunda</i>, or <i>Sporobolus airoides</i> may dominate the herbaceous layer. In less saline areas, there may be inclusions of grasslands dominated by <i>Hesperostipa comata, Leymus salinus, Pascopyrum smithii</i>, or <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata</i>. Stands occur on gentle slopes and rolling plains. Substrates are shallow, typically saline, alkaline, fine-textured soils developed from shale or alluvium that may be associated with shale badlands. Infiltration rate is typically low. In Wyoming and possibly elsewhere, inclusions of non-saline, gravelly barrens or rock outcrops dominated by cushion plants such as <i>Arenaria hookeri</i> and <i>Phlox hoodii</i> without dwarf-shrubs may be present (these are not restricted to this group and larger patches would likely be classified in a sparse vegetation group).
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40060-{A677B38B-2F9B-47CA-948A-17815DA8452B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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