Name:
Yucca brevifolia - Eriogonum fasciculatum - Ephedra aspera Mixed Desert Scrub Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This group represents the extensive desert scrub in the transition zone above <i>Larrea tridentata - Ambrosia dumosa</i> desert scrub and below the lower montane woodlands at mid-elevations in the eastern and central Mojave Desert. It is also common on lower piedmont slopes in the transition zone into the southern Great Basin. The vegetation in this group is quite variable. <i>Larrea tridentata</i> may be absent or present to codominant in some examples, but typically does not dominate. Characteristic and dominant species include <i>Ambrosia eriocentra, Arctostaphylos patula, Coleogyne ramosissima, Ericameria cooperi, Eriogonum fasciculatum, Ephedra californica, Ephedra nevadensis, Ephedra torreyana, Ephedra viridis, Eriogonum corymbosum, Grayia spinosa, Lycium andersonii, Menodora spinescens, Nolina bigelovii, Nolina microcarpa, Nolina parryi, Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, Purshia glandulosa, Purshia stansburiana, Salazaria mexicana, Thamnosma montana, Viguiera parishii, Yucca brevifolia</i>, or <i>Yucca schidigera</i>. Less common are stands with scattered <i>Yucca brevifolia</i> and a saltbush short-shrub layer dominated by <i>Atriplex canescens, Atriplex confertifolia</i>, or <i>Artemisia tridentata</i>. In some areas in the western Mojave, shrubby <i>Juniperus californica</i> is common with the yuccas. <i>Grayia spinosa</i> is a common codominant shrub in disturbed stands. Desert grasses, including <i>Achnatherum hymenoides, Achnatherum speciosum, Muhlenbergia porteri, Pleuraphis jamesii, Pleuraphis rigida, Poa secunda</i>, or <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata</i>, may form an herbaceous layer. Scattered <i>Juniperus osteosperma</i> or warm desert scrub species may also be present. This shrubland group is found in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California and southern Nevada and forms a cool-temperate elevational belt on desert ranges (700-1800 m) elevation. It also occurs at the longitudinal transition zone between the Mojave and southern Great Basin, generally at mid-elevations. Landforms include valleys, bajadas, mountain slopes, ridges, mesas or alluvial fans bordering intermountain basins. The climate is semi-arid and characterized by hot, dry summers and cold winters with precipitation ranging from 5-30 cm annually. Temperatures are continental, with large annual and diurnal ranges. Soils are highly variable across the large range of this vegetation type and are generally shallow, well-drained, coarse-textured loams or sand with rock fragments, but include finer-textured substrates such as silt.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40055-{02198478-C714-4DCB-A8BC-58BD705FB04A}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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