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CEGL001704 Hesperostipa comata - Poa secunda Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Needle-and-Thread - Sandberg Bluegrass Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is endemic to the Palouse Prairie region of Oregon and Washington. Similar sandy soil sites support sparse shrub cover of Purshia tridentata, Artemisia tridentata, or Artemisia tripartita in the Columbia Basin. Sandy to gravelly soils or certain low fertility soils (old weathered volcanic ash) are associated with this type. This community occurs in more climatically moist areas than sites of ~Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Hesperostipa comata Shrubland (CEGL001051)$$. This is an open to closed vegetation type with most of its total cover found in only the mid-tall bunchgrass lifeform. Ericameria spp. and Chrysothamnus spp. can be present or codominant especially on disturbed sites. The general aspect is of a bunchgrass community with Hesperostipa comata dominating the midgrass layer. Some stands have a short bunchgrass layer of Poa secunda. Broad-leaved herbs typically contribute little to composition of individual sites. Annual grasses and forbs are common and can be diverse. In disturbed sites Bromus tectorum and Plantago patagonica are common. A diverse ground moss and lichen layer can cover much of the space between vascular plants, although it can be displaced with ground disturbance.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: As originally conceptualized, this type was the Hesperostipa comata community type on sandy to infertile soils outside the range of sagebrush and bitterbrush in the Palouse of Oregon and Washington following Daubenmire (1970). It was unclear where the Eriogonum niveum phase fit. Accepting the classification as one of existing vegetation places this phase within this syntaxon or within the variation of ~Purshia tridentata / Achnatherum hymenoides Shrubland (CEGL001058)$$. Compositionally, the Eriogonum niveum phase is more like this Hesperostipa comata community type with some dwarf-shrub cover, and sites are more gravelly sands than the later. This type includes this phase. Stands burned will have no sagebrush or bitterbrush. Occurrences that have no Artemisia or Purshia in the immediate landscape are included here.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This grassland association is characterized by the codominance of the perennial bunchgrasses Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata) and Poa secunda (= var. secunda). Together they average nearly 100% cover in most stands. A very few scattered evergreen needle-leaved shrubs may occur, including Ericameria nauseosa (= Chrysothamnus nauseosus) and Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus. Only a few perennial forbs occur, most with less than 1% cover. Lithophragma glabrum (= Lithophragma bulbiferum) is the most abundant with 2-5% cover. Species richness is low, with only 5-12 species occurring. A well-developed, but sensitive, cryptogam layer can cover the soil surface on undisturbed sites. There is a significant component of introduced annual species occurring in most stands, due to livestock grazing. These include Bromus tectorum, Draba verna, and Plantago patagonica. Bromus tectorum can actually become permanently dominant in severely overgrazed stands.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association is found in the Columbia Basin of southeastern Washington, primarily in the Pseudoroegneria - Poa and Pseudoroegneria - Festuca zones of Daubenmire (1970). The region is shrub-steppe, in the rainshadow of the Cascade Ranges, and too dry to support forest vegetation. The climate is characterized by moderately cold winters and warm to hot summers. Precipitation occurs primarily in the winter as rains and occasional snows. Elevations where found range from roughly 335 to 900 m (1100-2950 feet), and the slopes range from gentle to moderate. This association occurs on sandy, or gravelly soils, in some cases derived from strongly weathered volcanic ash. They are deep, coarse-textured and have low fertility. Additionally, sands and gravels have low moisture-holding capacity.
Geographic Range: This association is known from 2-3 counties in Washington and 1-2 counties in Oregon.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: BC?, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683090
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nf Western North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D022 | 2.B.2.Nf |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nf.2 Saskatoon Serviceberry / Idaho Fescue - Bluebunch Wheatgrass Grassland & Shrubland Macrogroup | M048 | 2.B.2.Nf.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nf.2.c Rough Fescue - Idaho Fescue - Bluebunch Wheatgrass Central Rocky Mountain Foothill Grassland Group | G273 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.c |
| Alliance | A3989 Idaho Fescue - Bluebunch Wheatgrass Palouse Grassland Alliance | A3989 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.c |
| Association | CEGL001704 Needle-and-Thread - Sandberg Bluegrass Grassland | CEGL001704 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Stipa comata - Poa secunda Habitat Type (Daubenmire 1970) [on sandy to infertile soils outside the range of sagebrush and bitterbrush in the Palouse of Oregon and Washington.]
= Needle and Thread - Sandberg Bluegrass Herbaceous Vegetation (Hesperostipa comata - Poa secunda Herbaceous Vegetation) (Bell et al. 2009)
= Needle and Thread - Sandberg Bluegrass Herbaceous Vegetation (Hesperostipa comata - Poa secunda Herbaceous Vegetation) (Bell et al. 2009)
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