Environmental Description:  It is predominantly present in narrow V-shaped canyons between 1219 and 2438 m (4000-8000 feet) elevation on gentle undulating, low to moderate-height terraces of various aspects. Stands primarily occupy streambanks but may also be found on floodplains and alluvial bars. Soils are of a sandy loam formed by fluvial deposits.

In New Mexico, this community is a major riparian shrubland that occurs in narrow valleys and canyons of mountainous regions along moderate-sized streams. It occurs at upper elevations ranging from 2350 to 2690 m (7725-8825 feet). Typically, it occurs along banks of bedrock-controlled, moderate-gradient streams (0.8 to 2%) that alternate between rapids and deep pools that are created by bedrock and large boulders and cobbles that line the riverbed and banks. Depositional features are limited through steeper reaches, but vegetated bars and terraces can develop to a limited extent as the river channel cuts through wider canyons and the gradient flattens. Small overflow channels can dissect the larger bars. Sites are frequently flooded, commonly on a yearly basis up to five years. Woody debris carried by high-energy flows often become lodged among boulders, the streambanks, or on bars. Alluvial sediments are generally very coarse and sandy, and soils are characterized by coarse-loamy layers over sandy layers, with deeper skeletal layers of cobbles and gravel. The soil matrix may have as much as 80% rock fragment. Soils may at some point in the season be dry at the surface but tend to be moist at shallow depths and through the top 10 to 50 cm (4-20 inches) of the soil profile during most years.