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CEGL001744 Elymus caninus - Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri - (Koeleria macrantha) Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bearded Wheatgrass - Roemer''s Fescue - (Prairie Junegrass) Grassland
Colloquial Name: Wheatgrass - Fescue - Junegrass Grassland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is an upland prairie grassland that formerly dominated habitats in western Oregon and Washington. High-quality remnants are very rare, restricted to a few small reserves and remnants. Soils are well- to moderately well-drained silts or silty clays, usually deep and occasionally stony. Elevations are between 30 and 610 m (100-2000 feet); aspects and slopes are variable. Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri dominates most sites, with Koeleria macrantha as a constant associate at low cover. Elymus caninus is important at one site, and a minor associate at another, but is included as a codominant because it is has been reported to be dominant in presettlement accounts and by local experts. Bromus carinatus, Elymus glaucus, and Poa secunda are often present. Danthonia californica is important at some sites, although this is probably a result of grazing pressure. Most areas are forb-rich, with the most common forbs including Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata, Balsamorhiza deltoidea, Delphinium menziesii or Delphinium nuttallii ssp. nuttallii (on the eastern side of the Willamette Valley), Delphinium menziesii (on the west), Symphyotrichum hallii, Fragaria vesca, Lupinus sp., Ranunculus occidentalis, Achillea millefolium, Eriophyllum lanatum, and Lomatium utriculatum. Non-native species (Arrhenatherum elatius, Poa pratensis, Schedonorus arundinaceus, Cynosurus echinatus, Dactylis glomerata, and many others) often invade this association with grazing pressure. Remnant sites usually occur in a matrix with Oregon oak woodlands and agriculture. This plant community depends on fire for maintenance. In the absence of fire, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Quercus garryana, Toxicodendron diversilobum, Symphoricarpos albus, or non-native trees and shrubs invade and dominate these grasslands.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Most occurrences of this type have been so disturbed by grazing, modifications of the fire regime and agriculture that they are difficult to classify. The type probably represents two or three communities, one on deep, upland soils on the valley floor, one on valley margin hillslopes, and perhaps a third on clay soils where Danthonia californica is naturally dominant. Since the deep soiled type is extirpated, and all others are very rare, this community has been broadly defined.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This is a poorly described herbaceous association, in that it is known from only two occurrences. It is dominated by the perennial grass Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri with cover ranging from less than 40% to well over 70%. Several other perennial grasses are commonly present, typically at less than 5% cover, including Elymus caninus, Koeleria macrantha, Bromus carinatus, and Agrostis hallii. Perennial forbs can be abundant, the dominant being Fragaria virginiana, with highly variable cover (from 8-40%). Most areas are forb-rich, with the most common forbs including Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata (= Sidalcea virgata), Balsamorhiza deltoidea, Delphinium menziesii or Delphinium nuttallii ssp. nuttallii (= Delphinium oreganum) (on the eastern side of the Willamette Valley), Delphinium menziesii (on the west), Symphyotrichum hallii (= Aster hallii), Fragaria vesca, Lupinus sp., Ranunculus occidentalis, Achillea millefolium, Eriophyllum lanatum, and Lomatium utriculatum. Other forbs include Potentilla gracilis, Prunella vulgaris, and Iris tenax. Total herbaceous cover is usually over 80%, and species richness is relatively high. No stands of this association have been found without a significant component of introduced species as a result of livestock grazing and fire suppression. Non-native species (Arrhenatherum elatius, Poa pratensis, Schedonorus arundinaceus (= Festuca arundinacea), Cynosurus echinatus, Dactylis glomerata, and many others). Several grasses are abundant, including Arrhenatherum elatius, Cynosurus echinatus, and Aira caryophyllea. Common introduced forbs include Daucus carota, Plantago lanceolata, and Galium parisiense. Cover of these exotics ranges from 13% to over 30%.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association is found on the margins of the Willamette Valley, one of the warmest and driest regions of Oregon west of the Cascades. The climatic characteristics are due to the rainshadow effect of the Coast Ranges to the west, which results in annual precipitation of less than 100 cm (as compared to well over 200 cm on the coast). Summers in this valley are moderately hot and dry, with potential evapotranspiration far exceeding the moisture recharged during the wet, mild winters.
Little detailed information is available regarding the environmental parameters associated with this type. It occupies relatively xeric sites, such as south- or west-facing hills or slopes, at elevations of roughly 150 to 360 meters. In one location where it occurs, the soils are silty clay loams.
Little detailed information is available regarding the environmental parameters associated with this type. It occupies relatively xeric sites, such as south- or west-facing hills or slopes, at elevations of roughly 150 to 360 meters. In one location where it occurs, the soils are silty clay loams.
Geographic Range: This grassland type was apparently restricted to the interior Valleys in southwestern Washington (south of the glaciated Puget Trough) and western Oregon (the Willamette and Umpqua valleys). It has been extirpated in Washington, and from all but a few locations in Oregon.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: OR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684435
Confidence Level: Low
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.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nf Western North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D022 | 2.B.2.Nf |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nf.4 Southern Vancouverian Lowland Grassland & Shrubland Macrogroup | M050 | 2.B.2.Nf.4 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nf.4.a Manzanita species / Roemer''s Fescue - California Oatgrass Shrubland & Grassland Group | G488 | 2.B.2.Nf.4.a |
| Alliance | A3739 Red Fescue - Pacific Reedgrass Exposed Coastal Headland Grassland Alliance | A3739 | 2.B.2.Nf.4.a |
| Association | CEGL001744 Bearded Wheatgrass - Roemer''s Fescue - (Prairie Junegrass) Grassland | CEGL001744 | 2.B.2.Nf.4.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- Alverson, E. R. 1990. A survey for native grassland remnants in the mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon. A report on research conducted with a grant from the Mazamas Research Assistance Program. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University. 35 pp. plus appendices.
- 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.
- Habeck, J. R. 1961. The original vegetation of the mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon. Northwest Science 35:65-77.
- Habeck, J. R. 1962. Forest succession in Monmouth Township, Polk County, Oregon, since 1850. Proceedings of the Montana Academy of Science 21:7-17.
- 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.
- Macdonald, C. A. 1989. Plant colonization of gopher mounds in adjacent pasture and prairie communities. Unpublished thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 67 pp.
- Magee, T. 1985. Baseline vegetation description and establishment of a monitoring system to evaluate vegetation change in response to fire at Wren Prairie Preserve. Unpublished report prepared for The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR.
- Magee, T. 1986. Vegetation monitoring Wren Prairie Preserve: Initial response of grassland vegetation to controlled burning. Unpublished report prepared for The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR. 25 pp. plus appendices.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.