Name:
Carex macrochaeta - Carex spectabilis - Phlox diffusa ssp. longistylis Alpine-Subalpine Tundra Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This mesic alpine and subalpine herbaceous meadow group occurs in the mountain regions of the Pacific Northwest coast north to the maritime and boreal transition regions of Alaska. The vegetation is characterized by a moderately dense to dense herbaceous layer, often composed of a mixture of graminoids such as <i>Calamagrostis canadensis</i> (often present but not dominant), <i>Carex breweri, Carex capitata, Carex macrochaeta, Carex nardina, Carex proposita, Carex spectabilis, Festuca brachyphylla, Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri</i>, and forbs such as <i>Arenaria capillaris, Aconitum delphiniifolium, Anemone narcissiflora, Artemisia arctica, Athyrium filix-femina, Castilleja unalaschcensis, Chamerion</i> spp., <i>Eriogonum pyrolifolium, Fritillaria camschatcensis, Geranium erianthum, Lupinus</i> spp., <i>Nephrophyllidium crista-galli, Packera cana, Pedicularis contorta, Phlox diffusa, Polemonium acutiflorum, Polygonum bistortoides, Sanguisorba canadensis, Saxifraga tolmiei, Senecio triangularis, Valeriana sitchensis</i>, and <i>Veratrum viride</i>. Some stands have an open herbaceous layer. Scattered dwarf-shrubs may be present with low cover. Stands occur above 2350 m (7200 feet) elevation 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. The slope shape is usually straight to concave (depressions) where snow lingers, the soil has become relatively stabilized, and the water supply is more-or-less constant. Vegetation in these areas is controlled by snow retention, wind desiccation, permafrost, and a short growing season. The substrate is colluvium, residuum, or glacial till. The dominant disturbances are snow avalanche, soil creep and freeze-thaw action.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40075-{A94B1BD1-AB8A-4DB1-BFF1-9B81EAF0D7D3}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
