Name:
Artemisia filifolia / Calamovilfa longifolia - Yucca glauca Sand Shrubland Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This group is found mostly in south-central areas of the Western Great Plains Division ranging from southwestern Wyoming and southwestern Nebraska up into the Nebraska Sandhill region, south through eastern Colorado, and New Mexico to central Texas, although some examples may reach as far north as the Badlands of South Dakota. Typically, this group is characterized by a sparse to moderately dense woody layer dominated by <i>Artemisia filifolia</i>, but other characteristic species may be present, including <i>Amorpha canescens, Prosopis glandulosa</i> (southern stands), <i>Prunus angustifolia, Prunus pumila var. besseyi</i> (northern stands), <i>Rhus trilobata</i>, and <i>Yucca glauca</i>. In the southern range of this group, <i>Quercus havardii</i> may also be present to dominant and represents one succession pathway that develops over time following disturbance. Associated herbaceous species can vary with geography, amount and season of precipitation, disturbance, and soil texture. The herbaceous layer typically has a moderate to dense canopy but can be sparse. Several mid- to tallgrass species characteristic of sand substrates are usually present to dominant, such as <i>Andropogon hallii, Calamovilfa gigantea, Calamovilfa longifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Sporobolus giganteus</i>, or <i>Hesperostipa comata</i>. Overgrazing can lead to decreasing dominance of some of the grass species, such as <i>Andropogon hallii, Calamovilfa gigantea</i>, and <i>Schizachyrium scoparium</i>, and may result in a shift from the ~Great Plains Sand Grassland Group (G068)$$ to this group. In the western extent of this group in the shortgrass prairie, more xeric mid- and shortgrass species such as <i>Hesperostipa comata, Sporobolus cryptandrus</i>, and <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i> often dominate the herbaceous layer. The climate is semi-arid to arid for much of the region in which this group occurs. It occurs on somewhat excessively to excessively well-drained, deep sandy soils that are often associated with dune systems and ancient floodplains.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:39776-{CF35DCC8-1F8B-42DD-8A30-D1F323C9268F}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
