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CEGL001120 Rhus trilobata / Pseudoroegneria spicata Shrub Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Skunkbush Sumac / Bluebunch Wheatgrass Shrub Grassland
Colloquial Name: Skunkbush Sumac / Bluebunch Wheatgrass Shrub Grassland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shrub grassland is found in the United States on dry mid to upper slopes and ridgetops in the eastern plains and mountains of Wyoming and Montana. Slope and aspect are variable, but soils are consistently shallow and rocky. Herbaceous species dominate the vegetation with short shrubs and nonvascular plants present but of lesser importance. Total vegetation cover is moderate, and few plants grow taller than 1 m. Shrubs generally have from 10-25% cover. Rhus trilobata is the most common. It is often found with Artemisia frigida, Artemisia tridentata, Prunus virginiana, Ribes cereum, or Eriogonum spp. Pseudoroegneria spicata is the most abundant herbaceous species. Others commonly found include Koeleria macrantha, Schizachyrium scoparium, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bromus tectorum, and Opuntia polyacantha.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Herbaceous species dominate the vegetation with short shrubs and nonvascular plants present but of lesser importance. Total vegetation cover is moderate (Brown 1971, Thilenius et al. 1995) and few plants grow taller than 1 m. Shrubs generally have from 10-25% cover. Rhus trilobata is the most common. It is often found with Artemisia frigida, Artemisia tridentata, Prunus virginiana, Ribes cereum, or Eriogonum spp. Pseudoroegneria spicata is the most abundant herbaceous species. Others commonly found include Koeleria macrantha, Schizachyrium scoparium, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bromus tectorum, and Opuntia polyacantha.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is typically found on dry mid to upper slopes and ridgetops. It has been identified on butte tops in eastern Wyoming (Thilenius et al. 1995). Slope and aspect are variable, but soils are consistently shallow and rocky. They often form from sandstone parent materials, and rock fragments, outcrops, and bare soil cover much of the ground (Mueggler and Stewart 1980).
Geographic Range: This shrub prairie type is found in the United States on dry mid to upper slopes and ridgetops in the eastern plains and mountains of Wyoming and Montana.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684561
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4
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.2 Saskatoon Serviceberry / Idaho Fescue - Bluebunch Wheatgrass Grassland & Shrubland Macrogroup | M048 | 2.B.2.Nf.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nf.2.b Saskatoon Serviceberry - Snowberry species - Smooth Sumac Central Rocky Mountain Shrubland Group | G272 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.b |
| Alliance | A3964 Smooth Sumac - Skunkbush Sumac Central Rocky Mountain Montane-Foothill Shrubland Alliance | A3964 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.b |
| Association | CEGL001120 Skunkbush Sumac / Bluebunch Wheatgrass Shrub Grassland | CEGL001120 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Rhus trilobata / Agropyron spicatum Habitat Type (Mueggler and Stewart 1980)
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- Bighorn Coal Mine. No date. Application No. 213-T2, on file at Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division, Cheyenne.
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- Stevens, J. E., D. S. Jones, and K. J. Benner. 2015. Vegetation classification and mapping project report: Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Natural Resource Report NPS/GRYN/NRR--2015/1070. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 350 pp.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. [1998] f. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Devils Tower National Monument. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 28 pp.
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- Tweit, S., and K. Houston. 1980. Grassland and shrubland habitat types of the Shoshone National Forest. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Shoshone National Forest.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.