Name:
Empetrum nigrum - Phyllodoce empetriformis - Cassiope mertensiana Alpine-Subalpine Dwarf-shrubland & Heath Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This alpine dwarf-shrubland group occurs in the coastal mountains of the Pacific Northwest north into southeastern Alaska. The vegetation ranges from a sparse to near continuous cover of dwarf-shrubs (alpine heath) or dwarf-shrub-herbaceous meadows. Dominant dwarf-shrub species include <i>Cassiope mertensiana, Cassiope tetragona, Empetrum nigrum, Harrimanella stelleriana, Luetkea pectinata, Phyllodoce aleutica, Phyllodoce empetriformis</i>, and <i>Phyllodoce glanduliflora</i>. Other common species may include <i>Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Dryas octopetala, Loiseleuria procumbens, Vaccinium uliginosum</i>, and <i>Vaccinium vitis-idaea</i>. Ericaceous species typically dominate, but sites dominated by <i>Salix arctica, Salix nivalis</i>, and <i>Salix reticulata</i> are included in this group. Scattered tall shrubs and dwarf trees may also be present. Common herbaceous species include <i>Aconitum delphiniifolium, Anemone narcissiflora, Artemisia arctica, Carex macrochaeta, Castilleja unalaschcensis, Geranium erianthum, Lupinus nootkatensis, Sanguisorba canadensis, Saxifraga tolmiei, Valeriana sitchensis</i>, and <i>Viola</i> spp. On slopes on the outer coast and also in Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound, <i>Nephrophyllidium crista-galli</i> is common. This group occurs above 2350 m (7200 feet) in the Klamath Mountains and Cascade Range north into the Coast Mountains of British Columbia where it is confined to the coldest, wind-blown areas above treeline and above the subalpine parkland. It occurs on slopes and depressions where snow lingers, the soil has become relatively stabilized, and the water supply is more-or-less constant, as well as on exposed summits, windswept ridges, and fell-fields that are much drier. Slopes vary from steep to flat. These sites are characterized by harsh environmental conditions.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40072-{84AD858B-AD42-4400-8FC9-0DF55A8E981D}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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