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CEGL001658 Puccinellia lemmonii - Poa secunda Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Lemmon''s Alkali Grass - Sandberg Bluegrass Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is a valley bottom, semi-alkaline grassland known from the Klamath Basin in south-central Oregon, and from the Baker Valley in northeastern Oregon. As a valley bottom type, it is always found on flat, deep soil areas, usually of alluvial or pluvial origin, between 760-1220 m (2500-4000 feet) in elevation. It usually occurs along the edges of lakes, backwater oxbows or large wetlands, in valleys that have moderately alkaline soils. Puccinellia lemmonii and Poa secunda dominate these grasslands. Hordeum jubatum is often present, and occasionally codominant, along with Elymus elymoides and Juncus species. Forbs (Castilleja pilosa, Erigeron filifolius, Astragalus purshii, Astragalus applegatei) and bare ground provide a significant part of the overall cover. In addition, all known sites had some (between 1-5%) cover of Ericameria nauseosa, although this is assumed to be an artifact of historic grazing. At the wetter end, this type grades into Deschampsia cespitosa or Carex wetlands, and at the drier end into playa, or more commonly sagebrush habitats.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This is a very poorly described and understood association. It is not ranked with a Q in this treatment because it is the only representation of a real entity, valley bottom Puccinellia - Poa-dominated, slightly alkaline grassland, which were clearly important in eastern Oregon valley bottoms. Elymus elymoides has been removed from the name, since it is not characteristic of anything but cattle disturbance.
Given the rarity, and the lack of plot data, this may actually represent two or three different types. In addition, there remains some question as to the identity of Puccinellia lemmonii in the sites in northeastern Oregon. In the northern Great Basin, Puccinellia lemmonii is replaced by Puccinellia nuttalliana. The type is of interest in the Klamath Valley of Oregon because it provides the only habitat for an endangered plant, Astragalus applegatei, so the habitat has been well-inventoried, and at least 8 occurrences have been found. The relationship between these Klamath Basin occurrences and other low-elevation, intermountain sites is not clear.
Given the rarity, and the lack of plot data, this may actually represent two or three different types. In addition, there remains some question as to the identity of Puccinellia lemmonii in the sites in northeastern Oregon. In the northern Great Basin, Puccinellia lemmonii is replaced by Puccinellia nuttalliana. The type is of interest in the Klamath Valley of Oregon because it provides the only habitat for an endangered plant, Astragalus applegatei, so the habitat has been well-inventoried, and at least 8 occurrences have been found. The relationship between these Klamath Basin occurrences and other low-elevation, intermountain sites is not clear.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This herbaceous association is composed of perennial bunchgrasses, but little information is available on canopy cover, density or species composition. Poa secunda (= ssp. juncifolia, = ssp. nevadensis) , Puccinellia lemmonii, and Elymus elymoides are the characteristic and probably dominant grasses, the first two typically less than 0.5 m in height, while Elymus elymoides can be up to 1 m on favorable sites. The deciduous, succulent-leaved shrub Sarcobatus vermiculatus may occasionally occur in some stands and is typically 1-3 m tall. Forbs (Castilleja pilosa, Erigeron filifolius, Astragalus purshii, Astragalus applegatei) and bare ground provide a significant part of the overall cover. In addition, all known sites had some (between 1-5%) cover of Ericameria nauseosa (= Chrysothamnus nauseosus), although this is assumed to be an artifact of historic grazing. At the wetter end, this type grades into Deschampsia cespitosa or Carex wetlands, and at the drier end into playa, or more commonly sagebrush habitats.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs in scattered localities of eastern Oregon. The region is semi-arid, with average annual precipitation varying from 20 cm to 40 cm in all except the higher elevations in the Blue Mountains, where over 60 cm fall annually. A high proportion of the annual precipitation falls as snow, but winter temperatures are not as extreme as to the east of the Rocky Mountains.
Little detailed information is available for this association. It is found in flat, poorly drained floodplains and internally drained basins or historic lake basins (playas). Soils are alkaline and typically seasonally flooded.
Little detailed information is available for this association. It is found in flat, poorly drained floodplains and internally drained basins or historic lake basins (playas). Soils are alkaline and typically seasonally flooded.
Geographic Range: This community is currently only known from the Klamath, Grand Ronde, and Powder river valleys in Oregon.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: OR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684148
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.5 Salt Marsh Formation | F035 | 2.C.5 |
| Division | 2.C.5.Nd North American Western Interior Brackish Marsh, Playa & Shrubland Division | D036 | 2.C.5.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.5.Nd.1 Warm & Cool Desert Alkali-Saline Marsh, Playa & Shrubland Macrogroup | M082 | 2.C.5.Nd.1 |
| Group | 2.C.5.Nd.1.a Saltgrass - Lemmon''s Alkali Grass - Saltwort species Alkaline-Saline Marsh & Playa Group | G538 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.a |
| Alliance | A1334 Alkali Sacaton - Scratchgrass - Alkali Cordgrass Alkaline Wet Meadow Alliance | A1334 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.a |
| Association | CEGL001658 Lemmon''s Alkali Grass - Sandberg Bluegrass Wet Meadow | CEGL001658 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- Borgais, D. 1990. Unpublished data from Roundtop Butte Preserve. Data on file at Oregon Natural Heritage Program, Portland, OR.
- 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.
- Kagan, J. S. 1986. Status report for Thelypodium howellii subsp. spectabilis. Oregon Natural Heritage Data Base, The Nature Conservancy, Portland.
- 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.
- ORNHP [Oregon Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data files. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.