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CEGL001616 Festuca idahoensis - Eriogonum heracleoides Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Idaho Fescue - Parsnip-flower Buckwheat Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These grasslands are described from parks in the forests of the Okanogan Highlands of northeastern Washington and southern British Columbia, and from Oregon. Stands may also occur in northern Idaho. This association occurs as grassland ''parks'' from 670 m to over 2000 m elevation in the Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii zones. Sites are typically on dry slopes with southern exposures; apparently too dry during the late summer to support trees. Soils are loams to gravelly fine sandy loams, developed on bedrock controlled glacial tills. The vegetation is a medium-tall grassland association, dominated by the perennial bunchgrasses Festuca idahoensis or Festuca campestris, with Pseudoroegneria spicata, Poa secunda, and Koeleria macrantha. The diagnostic species Eriogonum heracleoides, a low (1-4 dm tall), perennial, suffrutescent forb, does not contribute to the physiognomic structure of this type, and is often sparsely present. There is a rich perennial forb component, including such species as Achillea millefolium, Lomatium triternatum, Erigeron corymbosus, and Balsamorhiza spp. Stands are distinguished from other Festuca idahoensis stands by the presence of Eriogonum heracleoides.
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: This is a medium-tall grassland association dominated by the perennial bunchgrasses Festuca idahoensis or Festuca altaica (= Festuca scabrella), with Pseudoroegneria spicata, Poa secunda, and Koeleria macrantha. The low (1-4 dm tall), perennial suffrutescent forb Eriogonum heracleoides does not contribute to the physiognomic structure of this type, and is often sparsely present. There is a rich perennial forb component, including such species as Achillea millefolium, Lomatium triternatum, Erigeron corymbosus, and Balsamorhiza spp. Most stands of this type have been grazed. The annual grass Bromus tectorum is a vigorous invader of overgrazed stands, along with many other annuals. Poa pratensis will sometimes replace the Festuca and Pseudoroegneria in grazed stands.
Dynamics: This association may be very closely related to Festuca campestris (= Festuca scabrella) grasslands occurring to the west of the Rocky Mountains. Most stands have been heavily grazed, which has resulted in a shift in species composition.
Environmental Description: This association occurs as grassland "parks" from 670 to over 1980 m (2000-6500 feet) elevation in the Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii zones. The Okanogan Highlands region is mountainous, but characterized by broad, rounded summits and moderate slopes. The entire region was repeatedly covered by continental glaciers during the Pleistocene, and deposits of glacial drift are found throughout. The climate of the region is somewhat more continental in nature than western Washington, with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation occurs primarily in winter and averages 30 to 50 cm (12-20 inches) annually.
The slopes where this association is found are generally southerly in aspect. Apparently, the soils where it is found dry beyond the permanent wilting point of conifers during the late summer, so the sites do not support trees. These sites are elevationally above, or geographically beyond, the main distributional range of Artemisia tripartita and Purshia tridentata. Soils are loams to gravelly fine sandy loams, developed on bedrock-controlled glacial tills. It is considered a topo-edaphic climax. Sites supporting this association in Spokane County are on shallow soils, also within Pinus ponderosa forests.
The slopes where this association is found are generally southerly in aspect. Apparently, the soils where it is found dry beyond the permanent wilting point of conifers during the late summer, so the sites do not support trees. These sites are elevationally above, or geographically beyond, the main distributional range of Artemisia tripartita and Purshia tridentata. Soils are loams to gravelly fine sandy loams, developed on bedrock-controlled glacial tills. It is considered a topo-edaphic climax. Sites supporting this association in Spokane County are on shallow soils, also within Pinus ponderosa forests.
Geographic Range: As defined, this type is restricted to the Okanogan Highlands of Washington and adjacent British Columbia (western third of "Canadian Rocky Mountains ecoregion").
Nations: US
States/Provinces: OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685051
Confidence Level: Low
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.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.c Rough Fescue - Idaho Fescue - Bluebunch Wheatgrass Central Rocky Mountain Foothill Grassland Group | G273 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.c |
| Alliance | A3987 Idaho Fescue - Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Sandberg Bluegrass Dry Grassland Alliance | A3987 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.c |
| Association | CEGL001616 Idaho Fescue - Parsnip-flower Buckwheat Grassland | CEGL001616 | 2.B.2.Nf.2.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Festuca idahoensis - Eriogonum heracleoides Habitat Type (Ganskopp 1979)
- 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.
- Daubenmire, R. F. 1970. Steppe vegetation of Washington. Washington State University Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 62. 131 pp.
- Ganskopp, D. C. 1979. Plant communities and habitat types of the Meadow Creek Experimental Watershed. Unpublished thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 162 pp.
- 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.
- Tisdale, E. M., and M. Bramble-Brodahl. 1983. Relationships of site characteristics to vegetation in canyon grasslands of west-central Idaho and adjacent areas. Journal of Range Management 36:775-778.
- WNHP [Washington Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data files. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.