Name:
Nonvascular Rocky Mountain Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This group consists of barren and sparsely vegetated rock outcrops and cliff faces located throughout the Rocky Mountains and northeastern Cascade Range in North America. These sparsely vegetated surfaces (generally <10% plant cover) are found from foothill to subalpine elevations on steep cliff faces, narrow canyons, and smaller rock outcrops of various igneous (intrusives), sedimentary, and metamorphic bedrock types. It also occurs on unstable scree and talus slopes that can occur below cliff faces. In general these are the dry, sparsely vegetated places. The biota reflects what is surrounding them, unless it is an extreme parent material. There is often very high cover of nonvascular lichens and, in wetter places, mosses. There may be small patches of dense vascular vegetation and can include scattered trees and/or shrubs. Characteristic trees include species from the surrounding landscape, such as <i>Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, Pinus flexilis, Populus tremuloides, Abies concolor, Abies lasiocarpa</i>, or <i>Pinus edulis</i> and <i>Juniperus</i> spp. at lower elevations. There may be scattered shrubs present, such as species of <i>Holodiscus, Ribes, Physocarpus, Rosa, Juniperus</i>, and <i>Jamesia americana, Mahonia repens, Rhus trilobata</i>, or <i>Amelanchier alnifolia</i>. Soil development is limited, as is herbaceous cover. Characteristic nonvascular species information is not available
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40234-{7E5EF875-23A8-4832-81A4-5C57F075CA7D}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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