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CEGL001683 Schizachyrium scoparium - Muhlenbergia cuspidata Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Little Bluestem - Plains Muhly Grassland
Colloquial Name: Northern Plains Little Bluestem - Muhly Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This little bluestem - plains muhly prairie type is found in the northern Great Plains of the United States. Stands occur on easily eroded, loamy, well-drained soils derived from shales. Vegetative cover is somewhat sparse. Vegetation is dominated by the midgrass species Schizachyrium scoparium, Muhlenbergia cuspidata, Elymus lanceolatus, Koeleria macrantha, Pascopyrum smithii, Hesperostipa comata, and Aristida purpurea var. longiseta. Shrubs are rare. Gutierrezia sarothrae is the only common dwarf-shrub. Forb richness is high, but total canopy cover is low. Phlox hoodii and Linum perenne are common species. Litter and bare ground average 50% and 15% canopy cover, respectively.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This is an herbaceous association dominated by perennial bunchgrasses, the most abundant being Schizachyrium scoparium and Muhlenbergia cuspidata. Other grasses common (to codominant) in some stands include Elymus lanceolatus, Koeleria macrantha, Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata), Nassella viridula (= Stipa viridula), Aristida purpurea var. longiseta (= Aristida longiseta), and Pascopyrum smithii. Total graminoid cover averages 50-60%. There are a large number of forb species present, but none are abundant. The more common species include Phlox hoodii, Cerastium beeringianum, Tetraneuris acaulis, and Linum perenne. Total forb cover is less than 20%. There is an open, low-shrub layer, with 10-15% cover. The dwarf-shrub Gutierrezia sarothrae and the taller Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus are the most common. Juniperus horizontalis is infrequent but locally common. Lichens are common on the ground surface, having an average of 8% cover. Litter and bare ground average 50% and 15% cover, respectively (Jorgensen 1979).
Dynamics: Soils in this type are subject to rapid erosion (Jorgensen 1979).
Environmental Description: This association is found in a small region of central Montana, on the eastern edge of a mountainous uplift. The climate is semi-arid and continental in its characteristics. Winters are very cold, while summers tend to be hot. Much of the annual precipitation falls from May to September; mean annual precipitation is about 38 cm. This association occurs on moderately steep slopes of the uplands, between 1040 and 1280 m (3400-4200 feet) elevation (Jorgensen 1979). Geologic substrate is the Kootenai Formation (Jorgensen 1979), which is a ledge-forming Cretaceous formation of metamorphosed sandstone layers interbedded with red shale. Soils are derived from the red shale component of this formation. They are weakly developed, loam- or silt-textured, non-alkaline, non-saline, well-drained Darrett loam and stony loam and subject to rapid erosion. There is a significant component of stones in the profile. Most stands suffer from some erosion and may occur where there is above average snow accumulation.
This vegetation is similar to that usually occurring on more coarse-textured soils. Some high-sulfur shales weather to soils with characteristics of sand. It is likely that the parent material forming the soil supporting this unusual plant community is the critical environmental factor.
This vegetation is similar to that usually occurring on more coarse-textured soils. Some high-sulfur shales weather to soils with characteristics of sand. It is likely that the parent material forming the soil supporting this unusual plant community is the critical environmental factor.
Geographic Range: This little bluestem - plains muhly prairie type is found in the northern Great Plains of the United States, in Montana and possibly southern Saskatchewan and North Dakota. Jorgensen (1979) reports that this type occurs only in association with a red shale stratum of the Kootenai Formation in southeast Fergus County, Montana. This type may occur in southern Saskatchewan (J. Belcher pers. comm.) and western North Dakota (D. Lenz pers. comm.), but further research is needed to verify occurrences in these other areas.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: MT, ND, SK?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683649
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D023 | 2.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nb.2 Needle-and-Thread - Western Wheatgrass - Plains Rough Fescue Grassland Macrogroup | M051 | 2.B.2.Nb.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nb.2.c Western Wheatgrass - Needle-and-Thread - Little Bluestem Mixedgrass Prairie Group | G141 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.c |
| Alliance | A4034 Little Bluestem Northern Mixedgrass Grassland Alliance | A4034 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.c |
| Association | CEGL001683 Little Bluestem - Plains Muhly Grassland | CEGL001683 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Andropogon scoparius / Carex filifolia Habitat Type (Hansen et al. 1984) [Similar. Hansen and Hoffman (1988) and Hansen et al. (1984) describe an Andropogon scoparius / Carex filifolia community on coarse-textured soils of slopes in eastern Montana and adjacent North Dakota. Their stands have high cover of Carex filifolia, which was only a minor component of Jorgensen''s Andropogon scoparius / Muhlenbergia cuspidata community.]
= Andropogon scoparius / Muhlenbergia cuspidata Community Type (Jorgensen 1979)
= Schizachyrium scoparium - Muhlenbergia cuspidata Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Andropogon scoparius / Muhlenbergia cuspidata Community Type (Jorgensen 1979)
= Schizachyrium scoparium - Muhlenbergia cuspidata Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- 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.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Hansen, P. L., G. R. Hoffman, and A. J. Bjugstad. 1984. The vegetation of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota: A habitat type classification. General Technical Report RM-113. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 35 pp.
- Hansen, P. L., and G. R. Hoffman. 1988. The vegetation of the Grand River/Cedar River, Sioux, and Ashland districts of the Custer National Forest: A habitat type classification. General Technical Report RM-157. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 68 pp.
- Harvey, S. J. 1982. Vegetation of Musselshell and Petroleum counties, Montana. Unpublished report to USDA Soil Conservation Service, Roundup, MT. 27 pp.
- Jorgensen, H. E. 1979. Vegetation of the Yellow Water Triangle, Montana. Montana Department of Fish and Game, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management. Helena, MT. 57 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.