Name:
Juniperus monosperma Open Woodland Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This savanna and woodland group occurs along the east and south foothill slopes of the southern Rocky Mountains and into the plains of southeastern Colorado and northern and central New Mexico, south to the east side of the Sacramento Mountains and the Tularosa Basin, and east into the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas. This group includes both open woodland and savanna stands that are dominated by <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> in the tree layer. Savanna stands typically have widely spaced, mature (>150 years old) juniper trees with lush perennial grasses in between trees, but may have inclusions (patches) of denser juniper woodlands. <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> is the dominant tree (2-10 m tall) with an occasional <i>Pinus edulis</i> tree (usually growing within the canopy of <i>Juniperus monosperma</i>). <i>Juniperus scopulorum</i> may dominate or codominate at higher elevations. Grass species are similar to those found in shortgrass prairie of the western Great Plains with <i>Bouteloua gracilis, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua hirsuta, Bouteloua eriopoda, Hesperostipa neomexicana</i>, and <i>Pleuraphis jamesii</i> common. Shrubs are typically scattered and sparse, but may include <i>Quercus x pauciloba</i> and <i>Gutierrezia sarothrae</i>. In addition, succulents such as <i>Yucca glauca, Yucca baccata, Opuntia phaeacantha</i>, and <i>Opuntia polyacantha</i> are typically present. Woodland stands may have a more developed shrub layer characterized by <i>Atriplex confertifolia, Artemisia bigelovii, Artemisia tridentata, Cercocarpus montanus, Ericameria nauseosa, Fallugia paradoxa, Forestiera pubescens, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Ribes cereum</i>, or <i>Quercus turbinella</i>. Stands occur on all aspects of lower hillslopes, alluvial terraces and plains. This woodland phase is often found on steeper, colluvial slopes of escarpments, and occasionally on lower toeslopes and valley bottoms. Soils range from deep loams to shallow, gravelly to rocky sites. This group has expanded into adjacent grasslands and become denser during the last century. It is best represented just below the lower elevational range of ~Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon - Juniper Woodland Group (G253)$$ and often intermingles with grasslands and shrublands.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40031-{7A314906-F49C-4787-9DE5-D12768922D01}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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