Print Report
CEGL003440 Camassia cusickii Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Cusick''s Camas Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: Camas Wet Meadow
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This unique association is found in Oregon and Idaho. It occurs in seepage areas below basalt rims, between 915 and 1830 m (3000-6000 feet), on fairly steep slopes (averaging 40%) in a matrix of native perennial bunchgrasses. Stands occur on southerly aspects, with shallow, clay soils. These soils are highly oxidized from basalt parent materials. Camassia cusickii, a Hells Canyon endemic plant, dominates this association, with cover values ranging from 40-80%, clearly dominating these sites. Rock and gravel have the second largest cover. Forbs such as Artemisia ludoviciana, Perideridia bolanderi, Allium acuminatum, and Potentilla gracilis, as well as the bunchgrasses Pseudoroegneria spicata and Poa secunda from the adjacent grasslands, can be found in these seeps.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This is a distinctive, local plant association, described from Idaho by Jankovsky-Jones et al. (2001) and from Oregon by Johnson and Simon (1987).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: From Crowe et al. (2004): This association is heavily dominated by the cover of Camassia cusickii. The remainder of the vegetation generally constitutes little cover on the site with the exception of Pseudoroegneria spicata, which can have as much as 25% cover. Average height of herbaceous vegetation is approximately 60 cm. Other common herbs include Sedum lanceolatum, Calochortus eurycarpus, Senecio integerrimus, Sidalcea oregana, Polygonum douglasii, and Poa secunda (= ssp. sandbergii).
Dynamics: Degraded Camassia cusickii sites contain a greater abundance of Achillea millefolium, Polygonum douglasii, Antennaria luzuloides, and Lomatium dissectum (Johnson and Simon 1987).
Environmental Description: From Crowe et al. (2004): This association is endemic to the southern end of Hells Canyon. It occurs in portions of the Imnaha River and Pine Creek drainages and in Hells Canyon along the main Snake River. The association occurs on seepy, colluvial sites beneath basalt rims. Sites are wet into early summer. The soils are highly oxidized basalt parent material and are shallow (average depth is 100 cm) to bedrock with clay to clay loam surface horizons (Johnson and Simon 1987).
Geographic Range: This type is very locally distributed in Hells Canyon of Oregon and adjacent Idaho.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID, OR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684388
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.b Sedge species - Reedgrass species Montane Wet Meadow & Marsh Group | G521 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
| Alliance | A3814 Oatgrass species - Camas species Wet Meadow Alliance | A3814 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
| Association | CEGL003440 Cusick''s Camas Wet Meadow | CEGL003440 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Camassia cusickii Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Camassia cusickii seep (Jankovsky-Jones et al. 2001)
= Camassia cusickii seep (Jankovsky-Jones et al. 2001)
- 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]
- 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).
- Jankovsky-Jones, M., C. J. Murphy, and C. L. Coulter. 2001. Riparian and wetland plant associations of southwestern Idaho in the Lower Snake River District, Bureau of Land Management. Idaho Conservation Data Center, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise.
- Johnson, C. G., Jr., and S. A. Simon. 1987. Plant associations of the Wallowa-Snake Province Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Technical Paper R6-ECOL-TP-255A-86. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. 399 pp. plus appendices.
- 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.
- Moseley, R. K. 1998. Riparian and wetland community inventory of 14 reference areas in southwestern Idaho. Technical Bulletin 98-5. USDI Bureau of Land Management, Boise State Office, Boise, ID. 52 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.