Print Report

CEGL001795 Danthonia parryi Grassland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Parry''s Oatgrass Grassland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This plant association most commonly occurs in forest openings, in montane meadows or parks in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and in adjacent parts of Wyoming. Stands occur from 2260-3350 m (7400-11,000 feet) elevation. Sites are moderately sloping (10-20%), with south and western aspects. Soils are shallow to moderately deep (>60 cm), usually with less than 20% coarse fragments. Soil texture is sandy to silt loam. The soils are moister than those of adjacent grasslands dominated by Festuca arizonica. The most common adjacent vegetation is Pinus ponderosa forest. At higher elevations there is an ecotone with Pinus contorta forests, and at lower elevations mountain shrub and other dry grassland communities are common. The vegetation is characterized by a moderately dense (60-70% cover) herbaceous layer that is typically dominated by the perennial bunchgrass Danthonia parryi. Other common species include Carex inops ssp. heliophila, Elymus trachycaulus, Festuca arizonica, Festuca idahoensis, Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia montana, Poa fendleriana, Poa pratensis, and Poa secunda. Muhlenbergia montana may be more abundant on drier sites or those impacted by livestock grazing. Forbs are diverse but contribute little cover (usually less than 10%) and include Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis, Antennaria rosea, Besseya plantaginea, Eriogonum umbellatum, Heterotheca villosa, Gaillardia aristata, Gentiana spp., Geum macrophyllum, Mertensia lanceolata, Penstemon spp., Potentilla hippiana and Potentilla pulcherrima. The dwarf-shrub Artemisia frigida is often scattered through these stands.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: The classification is based on plot data and recently collected qualitative data. Danthonia parryi is reported to form dense communities on windy slopes and ridges in Canada, but no data were presented. It is not understood how this plant community, reported in southern Alberta and British Columbia, may relate to the Danthonia parryi plant association in Colorado and Wyoming.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: These dry grasslands often form a mosaic with Pinus ponderosa forest. Stands are usually <50 acres but occasionally are reported to be up to 600 acres in size. They have a moderately dense (60-70% cover) herbaceous layer that is typically dominated by the perennial bunchgrass Danthonia parryi. Ungrazed or lightly grazed stands of this association are characterized by dense stands of Danthonia parryi. Disturbed stands are often codominated by forbs. Other common graminoids include Carex inops ssp. heliophila, Elymus trachycaulus, Festuca arizonica, Festuca idahoensis, Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia montana, Poa fendleriana, Poa pratensis, and Poa secunda. Muhlenbergia montana may be more abundant on drier sites or those impacted by livestock grazing. Forbs are diverse but contribute little cover (usually less than 10%) and include Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis (= Achillea lanulosa), Antennaria spp., Eriogonum umbellatum, Heterotheca villosa, Gaillardia aristata, Gentiana spp., Penstemon spp., and Potentilla spp. The dwarf-shrub Artemisia frigida is often scattered through these stands.

Dynamics:  Fire has been suggested as a management tool in some cases where pine is encroaching into the grassland meadows. Danthonia parryi is considered to be very palatable to livestock, and overgrazing has been reported in some stands to reduce the abundance of Danthonia parryi (Johnston 2001). Ungrazed or lightly grazed stands of this association are characterized by dense Danthonia parryi. Muhlenbergia montana may be more abundant on drier sites or those impacted by livestock grazing.
Environmental Description:  This plant association most commonly occurs in forest openings, in montane meadows or parks in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and in adjacent parts of Wyoming. Stands occur from 2260-3350 m (7400-11,000 feet) elevation. Sites are moderately sloping (10-20%), with south and western aspects. Soils are shallow to moderately deep (>60 cm), usually with less than 20% coarse fragments. Soil texture is sandy to silt loam and pH 6.4-6.6. Parent material is alluvium and colluvium derived from gneiss, granite and schist. The soils are moister than those of adjacent grasslands dominated by Festuca arizonica. The most common adjacent vegetation is Pinus ponderosa forest. At higher elevations there is an ecotone with Pinus contorta forests, and at lower elevations mountain shrub and other dry grassland communities are common.
Geographic Range: This grassland association is reported from the southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado, mainly from the South Platte, Arkansas, and Rio Grande river drainages, but with a few reports from the Colorado River drainage. The association also occurs in southern Wyoming.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  CO, WY


Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3

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.3 Tufted Hairgrass - Licorice-root species - Mountain Muhly Subalpine-High Montane Mesic Meadow Macrogroup M168 2.B.2.Nf.3
Group 2.B.2.Nf.3.a Arizona Fescue - Thurber''s Fescue - Mountain Muhly Grassland Group G268 2.B.2.Nf.3.a
Alliance A3954 Thurber''s Fescue - Timber Oatgrass - Letterman''s Bluegrass Southern Rocky Mountain Subalpine Grassland Alliance A3954 2.B.2.Nf.3.a
Association CEGL001795 Parry''s Oatgrass Grassland CEGL001795 2.B.2.Nf.3.a
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Danthonia parryi / Carex heliophila Habitat Type (Wasser and Hess 1982)
= Danthonia parryi / Carex heliophila Habitat Type (Hess 1981)
= Danthonia parryi / Carex heliophila Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Danthonia parryi Association (Looman 1983) [reference reporting Canadian stands.]
< Mountain parks (Ueckert 1968) [Danthonia parryi dominates a mixed montane grassland.]
Concept Author(s): S. Kettler

Author of Description: S. Kettler, G. Kittel and K.A. Schulz

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 12-01-04
  • Bourgeron, P. S., and L. D. Engelking, editors. 1994. A preliminary vegetation classification of the western United States. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Western Heritage Task Force, Boulder, CO. 175 pp. plus appendix.
  • CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
  • Hess, K. 1981. Phyto-edaphic study of habitat types of the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado. Unpublished dissertation, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 558 pp.
  • Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
  • Looman, J. 1981b. The vegetation of the Canadian prairie provinces. II. The grasslands, Part 2. Mesic grasslands and meadows. Phytocoenologia 9(1/2):1-26.
  • Looman, J. 1983. 111 range and forage plants of the Canadian prairies. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada Publication 1751.
  • Owns, T., project coordinator, et al. 2004. U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service. 390 pp.
  • Reid, E. H., and L. D. Love. 1951. Range-watershed conditions and recommendations for management, Elk Ridge and Lower Elk Ridge cattle allotments, Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado. Unpublished report prepared for USDA Forest Service. 123 pp.
  • Robbins, W. W. 1918. Successions of vegetation in Boulder Park, Colorado. Botanical Gazette 65(6):493-525.
  • Salas, D. E., J. Stevens, K. Schulz, M. Artmann, B. Friesen, S. Blauer, E. W. Schweiger, and A. Valdez. 2010b. Vegetation classification and mapping project report: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Natural Resource Report NPS/ROMN/NRR--2010/179. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
  • Salas, D., J. Stevens, and K. Schulz. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Technical Memorandum No. 8260-05-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 161 pp. plus Appendices A-L (733 pp.).
  • Ueckert, D. N. 1968. Diets of some grasshoppers common on mountain herbland in northern Colorado. Unpublished thesis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 37 pp.
  • WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
  • Wasser, C. H., and K. Hess. 1982. The habitat types of Region II. USDA Forest Service: A synthesis. Final report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 140 pp.
  • Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.