Name:
Amelanchier alnifolia - Symphoricarpos spp. - Rhus glabra Central Rocky Mountain Shrubland Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This shrubland group is found in the lower montane and foothill regions around the Columbia Basin, and north and east into the Northern Rockies. The most common dominant shrubs are <i>Amelanchier alnifolia, Holodiscus discolor, Physocarpus malvaceus, Prunus emarginata, Prunus virginiana, Rhus glabra, Rosa nutkana, Rosa woodsii, Symphoricarpos albus</i>, and <i>Symphoricarpos oreophilus</i>, occurring alone or any combination. Stands in central and eastern Wyoming can include <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana</i> and <i>Cercocarpus montanus</i>, but neither of these species are dominant, and where they occur the stands are truly mixes of shrubs, often with <i>Amelanchier alnifolia, Prunus virginiana</i>, and others being the predominant taxa. <i>Aristida purpurea, Calamagrostis rubescens, Carex geyeri, Deschampsia cespitosa, Festuca campestris, Festuca idahoensis, Koeleria macrantha, Poa secunda</i>, and <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata</i> are the most important grasses. <i>Achnatherum thurberianum</i> and <i>Leymus cinereus</i> can be locally important. <i>Bromus tectorum</i> and <i>Phleum pratense</i> are common introduced grasses. <i>Balsamorhiza sagittata, Geum triflorum, Lomatium triternatum, Oenanthe sarmentosa, Potentilla gracilis, Xerophyllum tenax</i>, and species of <i>Eriogonum, Phlox</i>, and <i>Erigeron</i> are important forbs. These shrublands typically occur below treeline, within the matrix of surrounding low-elevation grasslands and sagebrush shrublands. They also occur in the ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir zones, but rarely up into the subalpine zone, where they are restricted to dry sites. The shrublands are usually found on steep slopes of canyons and in areas with some soil development, either loess deposits or volcanic clays; they occur on all aspects. Fire, flooding and erosion all impact these shrublands, but they typically will persist on sites for long periods. These communities also develop near talus slopes as garlands, at the heads of dry drainages, and toeslopes in the moist shrub-steppe and steppe zones.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40040-{D7755025-50CB-406E-8D12-E777F87F53A9}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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