Name:
Pinus edulis - Juniperus monosperma Southern Rocky Mountain Woodland Macrogroup
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
Vegetation in this southern Rocky Mountain and Colorado Plateau pinyon and juniper savanna and woodland macrogroup is characterized by a short to medium-tall (3-20 m), open to closed (5-60% cover) tree canopy composed of diagnostic tree species <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> and/or <i>Pinus edulis</i>. The understory is dominated by shrubs or grasses. <i>Juniperus osteosperma</i> may replace <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> and codominate the tree canopy with <i>Pinus edulis</i> in the Colorado Plateau and western slope of the southern Rocky Mountains. <i>Juniperus scopulorum</i> may replace <i>Juniperus monosperma</i> and dominate or codominate the canopy at higher elevations. Savannas have widely spaced mature trees with lush perennial grasses and sometimes scattered shrubs and dwarf-shrubs in between trees. Woodlands are typically open-canopied (10-30% cover), but closed-canopy stands with a sparse understory are not uncommon. Understory layers are variable and may be dominated by shrubs, graminoids, or be absent, especially on rocky substrates. Common shrub species include <i>Arctostaphylos patula, Artemisia bigelovii, Artemisia tridentata, Atriplex canescens, Cercocarpus intricatus, Cercocarpus montanus, Coleogyne ramosissima, Ericameria nauseosa, Fallugia paradoxa, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Purshia stansburiana, Purshia tridentata, Quercus gambelii, Quercus x pauciloba, Ribes cereum, Rhus trilobata, Yucca baccata</i>, and <i>Yucca glauca</i>. The most frequent succulents are <i>Cylindropuntia imbricata, Opuntia phaeacantha</i>, and <i>Opuntia polyacantha</i>. The herbaceous layer ranges from moderately dense to sparse and is typically dominated by perennial grasses. <i>Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa comata</i>, and <i>Pleuraphis jamesii</i> are most common with <i>Achnatherum nelsonii, Achnatherum scribneri, Festuca arizonica, Hesperostipa neomexicana, Koeleria macrantha, Lycurus phleoides, Muhlenbergia torreyi, Poa fendleriana, Poa secunda</i>, and <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata</i> less abundant. Forbs may be diverse but generally have low cover and include <i>Astragalus</i> spp., <i>Castilleja integra, Cryptantha cinerea var. jamesii, Eriogonum jamesii, Erigeron divergens, Hymenopappus filifolius, Ipomopsis multiflora, Mentzelia</i> spp., and <i>Penstemon</i> spp. Stands occur in dry mountains and foothills in southern Colorado south into northern and central New Mexico, and extending east into the plains on breaks in the southwestern Great Plains, and west across the Colorado Plateau, including the Wasatch Range and southern slope of the Uinta Range, south to the Mogollon Rim. They are found in dry sites in lower slopes of mountains, plateaus and foothills and on limestone and shale breaks in the plains. Elevation ranges from near 1370 to 2900 m. Climate is cold-temperate. Severe weather events occurring during the growing season, such as frosts and drought, are thought to limit the distribution of pinyon-juniper woodlands to relatively narrow altitudinal belts on a given mountainside. Substrates range from deep loams to shallow, skeletal soils on rocky sites.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:41114-{6A81AB1E-B3D1-428C-B0BB-66F6DD3ADA87}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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