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CEGL001074 Artemisia cana ssp. viscidula / Deschampsia cespitosa Wet Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Mountain Silver Sagebrush / Tufted Hairgrass Wet Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This low-shrub vegetation type is found in riparian zones along mountain streams of western Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, and eastern Utah, at elevations up to 2560 m (8400 feet) in the north and 2800 m (9200 feet) in the south. It grows on relatively dry riparian sites located on stream terraces or sloping valley bottoms with deep, usually fine-textured soils. Water is present in the soil profile at least part of the year. The vegetation consists of a low-shrub layer (<1 m tall) dominated by Artemisia cana ssp. viscidula and that often contains Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda and Salix wolfii. The dense herbaceous undergrowth may be composed mainly of graminoids or may be codominated by graminoids and forbs. Deschampsia cespitosa contributes as much canopy cover as does any other native species. Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis, Carex microptera, Poa pratensis, Hymenoxys hoopesii, and Fragaria virginiana often are present and may contribute substantial cover.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Crowe and Clausnitzer (1997) and Crowe et al. (2004) describe an Artemisia cana / Deschampsia cespitosa Association from central and eastern Oregon, but the sagebrush in the few stands of that type that have been documented is Artemisia cana ssp. bolanderi. We may want to put both subspecies Artemisia cana ssp. bolanderi and Artemisia cana ssp. viscidula in the same association in the future. This association may be difficult to separate from ~Artemisia cana ssp. viscidula / Festuca idahoensis Shrub Wet Meadow (CEGL001552)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation consists of a low-shrub layer (<1 m tall) dominated by Artemisia cana ssp. viscidula and that often contains Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda) and Salix wolfii. The dense herbaceous undergrowth may be composed mainly of graminoids or may be codominated by graminoids and forbs. Deschampsia cespitosa contributes as much canopy cover as does any other native species. Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus), Carex microptera, Poa pratensis, Hymenoxys hoopesii (= Helenium hoopesii), and Fragaria virginiana often are present and may contribute substantial cover.
Dynamics: Padgett et al. (1989) suggest that species composition in stands of this association is stable unless they are subjected to heavy grazing which can eliminate Deschampsia cespitosa (and other palatable species) and result in dominance by Poa pratensis. The vegetation would then, presumably, be classified as ~Artemisia cana (ssp. bolanderi, ssp. viscidula) / Poa pratensis Ruderal Wet Shrubland (CEGL002988)$$.
Environmental Description: This low-shrub vegetation type is found in riparian zones along mountain streams of western Wyoming (Beetle 1961, Mutz and Graham 1982), southeastern Idaho, and eastern Utah (Padgett et al. 1989), at elevations up to 2560 m (8400 feet) in the north and 2800 m (9200 feet) in the south. It grows on relatively dry riparian sites located on stream terraces or sloping valley bottoms with deep, usually fine-textured soils. Water is present in the soil profile at least part of the year.
Geographic Range: The geographic range of this association is estimated to be roughly 217,000 square km (80,000 square miles), extending from southern Teton County, Wyoming (Beetle 1961), south and west to central Utah (Padgett et al. 1989).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID, OR, UT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683720
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nb Western North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D031 | 2.C.4.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nb.5 Sitka Alder - Booth''s Willow / Northwest Territory Sedge Montane Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M893 | 2.C.4.Nb.5 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nb.5.a Narrowleaf Willow - Hawthorn species - Stretchberry Rocky Mountain-Great Basin Riparian Shrubland Group | G526 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.a |
| Alliance | A2557 Silver Sagebrush Wet Shrubland Alliance | A2557 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.a |
| Association | CEGL001074 Mountain Silver Sagebrush / Tufted Hairgrass Wet Shrubland | CEGL001074 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Artemisia cana / Deschampsia caespitosa Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Artemisia cana / Deschampsia caespitosa Community Type (Youngblood et al. 1985a)
= Artemisia cana / Deschampsia cespitosa (Crowe and Clausnitzer 1997)
= Artemisia cana / Deschampsia cespitosa Community Type (Padgett et al. 1989)
>< Artemisia cana / Festuca idahoensis Community Type (Mutz and Graham 1982) [Their association has an undergrowth similar in species composition to this association, but Festuca idahoensis clearly contributes more canopy cover than does Deschampsia cespitosa, and the latter may be absent. In the plot table there are two plots where Deschampsia cespitosa contributes more cover than does Festuca idahoensis, and those two plots are considered part of this association.]
= Mountain silver sagebrush community (Beetle 1961)
= Artemisia cana / Deschampsia caespitosa Community Type (Youngblood et al. 1985a)
= Artemisia cana / Deschampsia cespitosa (Crowe and Clausnitzer 1997)
= Artemisia cana / Deschampsia cespitosa Community Type (Padgett et al. 1989)
>< Artemisia cana / Festuca idahoensis Community Type (Mutz and Graham 1982) [Their association has an undergrowth similar in species composition to this association, but Festuca idahoensis clearly contributes more canopy cover than does Deschampsia cespitosa, and the latter may be absent. In the plot table there are two plots where Deschampsia cespitosa contributes more cover than does Festuca idahoensis, and those two plots are considered part of this association.]
= Mountain silver sagebrush community (Beetle 1961)
- Beetle, A. A. 1961. Range survey in Teton County, Wyoming, Part I. Ecology of range resources. University of Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 376, Laramie. 40 pp.
- 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.
- Crowe, E. A., B. L. Kovalchik, and M. J. Kerr. 2004. Riparian and wetland vegetation of central and eastern Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University, Portland. 473 pp. [http://oregonstate.edu/ornhic/ publications.html]
- Crowe, E. A., and R. R. Clausnitzer. 1997. Mid-montane wetland plant associations of the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman national forests. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-22-97. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR.
- Hansen, P. L., R. D. Pfister, K. Boggs, B. J. Cook, J. Joy, and D. K. Hinckley. 1995. Classification and management of Montana''s riparian and wetland sites. Miscellaneous Publication No. 54. Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana. 646 pp. plus posters.
- IDCDC [Idaho Conservation Data Center]. 2005. Wetland and riparian plant associations in Idaho. Idaho Conservation Data Center, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise. [http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/tech/CDC/ecology/wetland_riparian_assoc.cfm] (accessed 14 June 2005).
- Kagan, J. S., J. A. Christy, M. P. Murray, and J. A. Titus. 2004. Classification of native vegetation of Oregon. January 2004. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Portland. 52 pp.
- Mutz, K. M., and R. Graham. 1982. Riparian community type classification-Big Piney Range District, Wyoming. Unpublished report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region under contract 53-84M8-1-974, by Meiiji Resource Consultants, Layton, UT. 88 pp.
- Padgett, W. G., A. P. Youngblood, and A. H. Winward. 1988b. Riparian community type classification of Utah. Publication R4-ECOL-88-01. USDA Forest Service, Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.
- Padgett, W. G., A. P. Youngblood, and A. H. Winward. 1989. Riparian community type classification of Utah and southeastern Idaho. Research Paper R4-ECOL-89-0. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Youngblood, A. P., W. G. Padgett, and A. H. Winward. 1985a. Riparian community type classification of eastern Idaho-western Wyoming. R4-Ecol-85-01. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT. 78 pp.