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CEGL005257 Sandstone Great Plains Dry Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sandstone Great Plains Dry Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Great Plains Dry Sandstone Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This dry sandstone cliff community is found in the central-western Great Plains of the United States. Stands occur on steep (>60%) slopes of sandstone or siltstone bedrock. Cliffs may exceed 100 m. Soils are not developed. The vascular layer varies from sparse to absent, particularly on siltstone. The nonvascular layer is not well described. Plants include scattered forbs, such as Mentzelia decapetala and Penstemon glaber. Sites may be utilized by nesting raptors. Type is found at Scotts Bluff, Wildcat Hills, and along the Niobrara River.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Distribution of this type is not clear. In Nebraska, the type is found at Scotts Bluff, Wildcat Hills, and along the Niobrara River. The cliff flora may be fairly different from site to site (G. Steinauer pers. comm. 1999).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vascular layer varies from sparse to absent, particularly on siltstone. The nonvascular layer is not well described. Plants include scattered forbs, such as Mentzelia decapetala and Penstemon glaber (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands occur on steep (>60%) slopes of sandstone or siltstone bedrock. Cliffs may exceed 100 m. Soils are not developed (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003).
Geographic Range: This dry sandstone cliff community is found in the central-western Great Plains of the United States.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO?, NE, WY?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684091
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 6 Open Rock Vegetation Class | C06 | 6 |
| Subclass | 6.B Temperate & Boreal Open Rock Vegetation Subclass | S04 | 6.B |
| Formation | 6.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Cliff, Scree & Other Rock Vegetation Formation | F034 | 6.B.1 |
| Division | 6.B.1.Na Eastern North American Temperate Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Division | D051 | 6.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 6.B.1.Na.2 Great Plains Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Macrogroup | M116 | 6.B.1.Na.2 |
| Group | 6.B.1.Na.2.b Skunkbush Sumac / Blue Grama - Prickly-pear species Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Group | G567 | 6.B.1.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A3981 Great Plains Acidic Cliff Alliance | A3981 | 6.B.1.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL005257 Sandstone Great Plains Dry Cliff Sparse Vegetation | CEGL005257 | 6.B.1.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Dry Cliff (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003)
= Sandstone Great Plains Dry Cliff Sparse Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Sandstone Great Plains Dry Cliff Sparse Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- BHCI [Black Hills Community Inventory]. 1999. Unpublished element occurrence and plot data collected during the Black Hills Community Inventory. Available upon request from the South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, and Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie.
- 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.).
- Marriott, H. J. 1985. Flora of the northwestern Black Hills, Crook and Weston counties, Wyoming. Unpublished M.S. thesis, Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie.
- Marriott, H. J., D. Faber-Langendoen, A. McAdams, D. Stutzman, and B. Burkhart. 1999. The Black Hills Community Inventory: Final report. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Conservation Science Center, Minneapolis, MN.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B., and G. Steinauer. 2010. Terrestrial ecological systems and natural communities of Nebraska (Version IV - March 9, 2010). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, NE. 228 pp.
- Steinauer, G., and S. Rolfsmeier. 2003. Terrestrial natural communities of Nebraska. (Version III - June 30, 2003). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln. 163 pp.