Print Report
CEGL001039 Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana - Symphoricarpos oreophilus / Hesperostipa comata Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Mountain Big Sagebrush - Mountain Snowberry / Needle-and-Thread Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This sagebrush shrubland is known only from Grand Teton National Park but is expected to occur in the surrounding area in southeastern Idaho and elsewhere in Wyoming. One stand occurs on the valley floor, with a 4% slope at an elevation of 2060 m (6749 feet), on a dry southeastern aspect. The soil is a loam with gravel and cobble. The shrub layer is dominated by Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana and Symphoricarpos oreophilus. Graminoids include Hesperostipa comata and Poa pratensis. The most abundant forb is Balsamorhiza sagittata. Other forbs present include Eriogonum umbellatum, Lupinus sericeus, Geranium viscosissimum, Lithospermum ruderale, and Helianthella uniflora. Similar vegetation types have been described in the literature with an Artemisia tridentata canopy and an undergrowth of Hesperostipa comata. However, these do not refer to Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana, nor do they mention any Symphoricarpos spp. as present.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: There appears to be no literature reference for this association. Tueller and Eckert (1987) have no mention of any Stipa spp. including Hesperostipa comata understory. Tueller and Blackburn (1974) discuss Artemisia tridentata and Stipa comata ecological relationships, with no Symphoricarpos mentioned. Blackburn et al. (1968c) (Duckwater Watershed) and Blackburn (1967) discuss an Artemisia tridentata / Stipa comata association, but the subspecies for the sagebrush is not identified, and there is no mention of Symphoricarpos spp.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The shrub layer is dominated by Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana and Symphoricarpos oreophilus. Graminoids include Hesperostipa comata and Poa pratensis. The most abundant forb is Balsamorhiza sagittata. Other forbs present include Eriogonum umbellatum, Lupinus sericeus, Geranium viscosissimum, Lithospermum ruderale, and Helianthella uniflora.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: One stand occurs on the valley floor, with a 4% slope at an elevation of 2060 m (6749 feet), on a dry southeastern aspect. The soil is a loam with gravel and cobble.
Geographic Range: This sagebrush shrubland is currently known only from Grand Teton National Park but is expected to occur in the surrounding area in southeastern Idaho and elsewhere in Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NV, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684221
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 3 Desert & Semi-Desert Class | C03 | 3 |
| Subclass | 3.B Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Subclass | S11 | 3.B |
| Formation | 3.B.1 Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Formation | F033 | 3.B.1 |
| Division | 3.B.1.Ne Western North American Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Division | D040 | 3.B.1.Ne |
| Macrogroup | 3.B.1.Ne.3 Big Sagebrush - Threetip Sagebrush - Antelope Bitterbrush Steppe & Shrubland Macrogroup | M169 | 3.B.1.Ne.3 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.3.c Spiked Big Sagebrush - Mountain Big Sagebrush - Mountain Silver Sagebrush Steppe & Shrubland Group | G304 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.c |
| Alliance | A3208 Mountain Big Sagebrush - Mixed Steppe & Shrubland Alliance | A3208 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.c |
| Association | CEGL001039 Mountain Big Sagebrush - Mountain Snowberry / Needle-and-Thread Shrubland | CEGL001039 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- 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.
- Cogan, D., K. Varga, and G. Kittel. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Final Project Report 2002-2005 Vegetation Mapping Project. Technical Memorandum 8260-06-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 87 pp. plus Appendixes A-F.
- Hironaka, M., M. A. Fosberg, and A. H. Winward. 1983. Sagebrush-grass habitat types of southern Idaho. Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Experiment Station Bulletin No. 15, University of Idaho, Moscow. 44 pp.
- Tueller, P. T., and R. E. Eckert, Jr. 1987. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata vaseyana) and longleaf snowberry (Symphoricarpos oreophilus) plant associations in northeastern Nevada. Great Basin Naturalist 47(1):117-131.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.