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CEGL001223 Salix geyeriana - Salix monticola / Mesic Forbs Wet Shrubland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Geyer''s Willow - Park Willow / Mesic Forbs Wet Shrubland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This association occurs on the Western Slope and Front Range of the southern Rocky Mountains and is documented from over 20 locations in Colorado at an elevational range of 2300-3150 m (7700-10,320 feet). Stands occur on broad alluvial floodplains with steep sideslopes. This riparian shrubland has a tall, mixed, deciduous shrub canopy that is codominated by Salix geyeriana and Salix monticola with an understory altered by livestock grazing. The herbaceous layer consists of dense grasses and forbs on a hummocky ground surface. Season-long grazing has increased the non-native grass component of this association. Stands with their native herbaceous undergrowth intact are extremely rare.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This classification is based on 22 quantitative plots collected from Colorado. There are three closely related communities. Both the Salix geyeriana - Salix monticola / Calamagrostis canadensis - Carex aquatilis - Carex rostrata (Geyer''s willow - mountain willow / bluejoint reedgrass - water sedge - beaked sedge) plant association (Baker 1989b) and the Salix geyeriana - Salix spp. / Calamagrostis canadensis (Geyer''s willow - willow / bluejoint reedgrass) plant association (Johnston 1987) have only native graminoids in the undergrowth. The Salix boothii (Booth''s willow) community type (Padgett et al. 1989) includes stands codominated by Salix geyeriana (Geyer''s willow) or Salix monticola (mountain willow).

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

Floristics: This plant association is a tall (1.5-2.5 m [5-8 feet]), open to closed, deciduous shrubland that occurs in small and large stands. The shrub canopy is a mixture of Salix geyeriana and Salix monticola that codominate the stand. Other shrubs that may be present include Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Lonicera involucrata, Juniperus communis, Ribes inerme, Salix drummondiana, Salix planifolia, and Salix wolfii. The moderately dense to dense herbaceous layer is dominated by forbs, including Achillea millefolium, Cardamine cordifolia, Conioselinum scopulorum, Heracleum maximum, Maianthemum stellatum, Mertensia ciliata, Potentilla pulcherrima, Rudbeckia laciniata, Senecio triangularis, and Thermopsis divaricarpa. The graminoid layer is usually sparse, with Bromus ciliatus, Carex utriculata, and Carex aquatilis frequently present. Introduced species Agrostis stolonifera, Agrostis gigantea, Phleum pratense, Poa palustris, Poa pratensis, Taraxacum officinale, and Trifolium repens are common in disturbed stands.

Dynamics:  The association is a tall, mixed-willow shrubland with an undergrowth species composition that is grazing-induced. Season-long grazing has increased the non-native grass cover and reduced the abundance of native forbs (Kittel et al. 1999b, Carsey et al. 2003a).
Environmental Description:  This plant association occurs on wide floodplains on the Western Slope and Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains at elevations of 2300-3150 m (7700-10,320 feet). Stands occur on broad alluvial floodplains with steep sideslopes such as old beaver ponds. Stream channels are broad and moderately sinuous to highly sinuous (Rosgen''s Channel Type: B3, C4) or narrow, entrenched, ephemeral gullies. Sites are flat to gently sloping and often have a hummocky ground surface. The alluvial substrates are often finer textured soils such as silt, silty loams, silty clay loams, sandy clay loams, clay loams, but also include deep sands or layers of coarse and fine materials, while others are relatively fine-textured. Mottling is evident near the surface indicating elevated water tables during part of the year.
Geographic Range: This association is known from the Routt National Forest, the San Miguel River Basin, the Arkansas River Basin, and the Rio Grande/Closed Basin areas of Colorado.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  CO


Confidence Level: High

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.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.d Willow species - Alder species - Water Birch Riparian & Seep Shrubland Group G527 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Alliance A3769 Booth''s Willow - Geyer''s Willow - Yellow Willow Montane Wet Shrubland Alliance A3769 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Association CEGL001223 Geyer''s Willow - Park Willow / Mesic Forbs Wet Shrubland CEGL001223 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Salix geyeriana - Salix monticola / Calamagrostis canadensis - Carex aquatilis - Carex rostrata Plant Association (Baker 1989b) [Carex rostrata var. utriculata is a synonym for Carex utriculata.]
= Salix geyeriana - Salix monticola / Mesic Forb Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003b)
= Salix geyeriana - Salix monticola / Mesic Forb Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
= Salix geyeriana-Salix monticola/Mesic forb (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Geyer willow-mountain willow/Mesic Forbs (Salix geyeriana-Salix monticola/Mesic Forbs) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1999b)
Concept Author(s): J. Thompson and J. Stevens

Author of Description: J. Thompson, J. Stevens, K.A. Schulz

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 07-25-05
  • Baker, W. L. 1989b. Classification of the riparian vegetation of the montane and subalpine zones in western Colorado. Great Basin Naturalist 49(2):214-228.
  • 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/]
  • Carsey, K., D. Cooper, K. Decker, D. Culver, and G. Kittel. 2003b. Statewide wetlands classification and characterization: Wetland plant associations of Colorado. Prepared for Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Denver, by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 79 pp. [http://www.cnhp.colostate.edu/documents/2003/wetland_classification_final_report_2003.pdf]
  • Carsey, K., G. Kittel, K. Decker, D. J. Cooper, and D. Culver. 2003a. Field guide to the wetland and riparian plant associations of Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins, CO.
  • Kettler, S., and A. McMullen. 1996. Routt National Forest riparian vegetation classification. Report prepared for Routt National Forest by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
  • Kittel, G. M., and N. D. Lederer. 1993. A preliminary classification of the riparian vegetation of the Yampa and San Miguel/Dolores river basins. Unpublished report prepared for Colorado Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency by The Nature Conservancy, Colorado Field Office, Boulder.
  • Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, M. Damm, R. Rondeau, S. Kettler, A. McMullen, and J. Sanderson. 1999b. A classification of riparian and wetland plant associations of Colorado: A user''s guide to the classification project. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO. 70 pp. plus appendices.
  • Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, M. Damm, R. Rondeau, S. Kettler, and J. Sanderson. 1999a. A classification of the riparian plant associations of the Rio Grande and Closed Basin watersheds, Colorado. Unpublished report prepared by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
  • 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.).
  • Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.