Name:
Juniperus deppeana - Pinus cembroides - Quercus arizonica Madrean Lowland Evergreen Woodland Macrogroup
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This Madrean mixed pinyon, juniper and oak (encinal) savanna and woodland macrogroup is characterized by a short (3-15 m), open to closed canopy of evergreen, conifer and broad-leaved trees. Stands are composed of diagnostic Madrean species such as <i>Juniperus coahuilensis, Juniperus deppeana, Juniperus flaccida, Juniperus pinchotii, Pinus cembroides, Pinus discolor, Pinus remota, Quercus albocincta, Quercus arizonica, Quercus chihuahuensis, Quercus emoryi, Quercus grisea</i>, and <i>Quercus oblongifolia</i>. At the northern end of the range, communities may be dominated or codominated by northern tree species such as <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> and/or <i>Pinus edulis</i>, but Madrean species will always be present as differential species. The understory may be sparse on some substrates or dominated by shrubs or grasses. If present, the shrub layer varies from open to dense and is composed of chaparral or mountain shrub species (particularly following fire or on rocky substrates). Characteristic species include <i>Arctostaphylos pungens, Ceanothus greggii, Cercocarpus montanus, Frangula betulifolia, Garrya wrightii, Nolina microcarpa, Purshia mexicana, Quercus grisea</i> (shrub form), <i>Quercus turbinella</i>, or <i>Rhus trilobata</i>. An herbaceous layer is usually prominent, especially in interspaces between trees in open woodlands. Dominant species are typically warm-season perennial grasses such as <i>Aristida</i> spp., <i>Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, Bouteloua rothrockii, Digitaria californica, Eragrostis intermedia, Hilaria belangeri, Leptochloa dubia, Muhlenbergia emersleyi, Muhlenbergia pauciflora, Muhlenbergia setifolia, Piptochaetium fimbriatum, Piptochaetium pringlei</i>, and <i>Schizachyrium cirratum</i>. Stands occur in foothills and lower mountains in northern Mexico extending into Trans-Pecos Texas, southern New Mexico and southern Arizona. They are typically found between 1300 and 2225 m elevation in canyons (including alluvial terraces), on gently sloping alluvial fan piedmonts (bajadas), steeper colluvial foothill slopes and ridges, as well as mesatops. Pinyon- and juniper-dominated stands occur down to 760 m elevation in Trans-Pecos ranges. Oak-dominated encinals may also extend down to 900 m elevation in southern Sonora, but generally range from around 1350 m where it is intermixed with semi-desert grasslands. At upper elevations, the woodlands can be found in a mosaic with Madrean montane forests as small-patch stands.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40441-{851BFBA2-6A9C-4B32-9E87-974340721F49}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
