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CEGL001405 Phyllodoce empetriformis / Antennaria lanata Dwarf-shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Pink Mountain-heath / Woolly Pussytoes Dwarf-shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is an alpine snowbed type documented to occur on crystalline substrates in the mountain ranges of southwestern and northwestern Montana. In southwestern Montana it is associated with the ranges (Anaconda-Pintlar, Madison, East Pioneer) receiving greater precipitation than other ranges of this region. In southwestern Montana this vegetation is locally common as small patches on depressions and protected slopes of gentle to moderate inclination occurring at 2800-3080 m (9200-10,100 feet) elevation. Based on reconnaissance information for northwestern Montana and the Bitterroot Range, this association occurs within the upper subalpine zone, as well as alpine habitats. Sites are snow-covered in winter, and meltoff probably occurs relatively late in the growing season, though not so late as in ~Carex nigricans Wet Meadow (CEGL001816)$$. Dwarf-shrubs provide the dominant aspect with a mean cover of 55%. Phyllodoce empetriformis is diagnostic and generally dominant with other dwarf-shrubs including Vaccinium scoparium, Phyllodoce glanduliflora, and Cassiope mertensiana, being common and occasionally codominant. Mean graminoid canopy cover is low (20%) and characterized by high constancy for Carex paysonis, Juncus drummondii, and Poa secunda. Forbs averaged 35% cover; Antennaria lanata, Polygonum bistortoides, and Sibbaldia procumbens are consistently present, though only Antennaria lanata occurs with greater than 5% cover. This association often occurs in a matrix with other snowbed types (e.g., ~Juncus drummondii - Antennaria lanata Alpine Snowbed (CEGL001904)$$, ~Carex nigricans Wet Meadow (CEGL001816)$$, ~Cassiope mertensiana / Carex paysonis Wet Dwarf-shrubland (CEGL001396)$$) and moist turf types (e.g., ~Carex scirpoidea - Geum rossii Alpine Turf (CEGL001866)$$).
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association has not been crosswalked to alpine/subalpine types of adjacent states/regions, nor has it been adequately inventoried within Montana or even southwestern Montana. There are a number of associations in the Northwest with either Phyllodoce empetriformis or Phyllodoce glanduliflora as the lead name, and it is not at all clear how related they may be or how they may be distinguished. This association also may extend to the Wind River Range of Wyoming. Probably these other heath-dominated communities represent regional expressions (dictated by the regional flora) of a core type. In one regional key, this dwarf-shrubland is distinguished from other snowbed site types by not having dwarf Salix spp. dominant, and from other heath plant types by having either Phyllodoce empetriformis or Phyllodoce glanduliflora dominant in the dwarf-shrub layer. Thus, the two Phyllodoce species are being considered ecological equivalents in this treatment.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Dwarf-shrubs provide the dominant aspect with a mean cover of 55%. Phyllodoce empetriformis is diagnostic and generally dominant with other dwarf-shrubs including Vaccinium scoparium, Phyllodoce glanduliflora, and Cassiope mertensiana, being common and occasionally codominant. Mean graminoid canopy cover is low (20%) and characterized by high constancy for Carex paysonis, Juncus drummondii, and Poa secunda (= Poa sandbergii). Forbs averaged 35% cover; Antennaria lanata, Polygonum bistortoides, and Sibbaldia procumbens are consistently present, though only Antennaria lanata occurs with greater than 5% cover.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association is an alpine snowbed type documented to occur on crystalline substrates in the mountain ranges of southwestern and northwestern Montana. In southwestern Montana it is associated with the ranges (Anaconda-Pintlar, Madison, East Pioneer) receiving greater precipitation than other ranges of this region. In southwestern Montana this vegetation is locally common as small patches on depressions and protected slopes of gentle to moderate inclination occurring at 2800-3080 m (9200-10,100 feet) elevation. Based on reconnaissance information for northwestern Montana and the Bitterroot Range, this association occurs within the upper subalpine zone, as well as alpine habitats. Sites are snow-covered in winter, and meltoff probably occurs relatively late in the growing season.
Geographic Range: This association is documented to occur in the mountain ranges of southwestern and northwestern Montana.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, WY?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685267
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 4 Polar & High Montane Scrub, Grassland & Barrens Class | C04 | 4 |
| Subclass | 4.B Temperate to Polar Alpine & Tundra Vegetation Subclass | S12 | 4.B |
| Formation | 4.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Alpine Tundra Formation | F037 | 4.B.1 |
| Division | 4.B.1.Nb Western North American Alpine Tundra Division | D043 | 4.B.1.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Nb.2 Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Blackroot Sedge - Moss Campion Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M099 | 4.B.1.Nb.2 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Mountain-heath species - Arctic Willow Alpine Dwarf-shrubland & Krummholz Group | G316 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Alliance | A3177 Pink Mountain-heath - Yellow Mountain-heath / Creeping Sibbaldia Alpine Snowbed Dwarf-shrubland Alliance | A3177 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Association | CEGL001405 Pink Mountain-heath / Woolly Pussytoes Dwarf-shrubland | CEGL001405 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Phyllodoce empetriformis/Antennaria lanata c.t. (Cooper et al. 1997)
< Phyllodoce empetriformis Community Type (Potkin and Munn 1989)
< Phyllodoce empetriformis Community Type (Potkin and Munn 1989)
- Achuff, P. L., and I. G. W. Corns. 1982. Chapter III. Vegetation. Pages 71-156 in: W. D. Holland and G. M. Coen, editors. Ecological (biophysical) land classification of Banff and Jasper national parks. Volume II: Soil and vegetation resources. Alberta Institute of Pedology. Publication No. SS-82-44.
- 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.
- Cooper, S. V., P. Lesica, and D. Page-Dumroese. 1997. Plant community classification for alpine vegetation on Beaverhead National Forest, Montana. Report INT-GTR-362. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 61 pp.
- Cooper, S. V., and P. Lesica. 1992. Plant community classification for alpine vegetation on Beaverhead National Forest, Montana. Conservation Biology Research, Helena, MT. 80 pp.
- Douglas, G. W., and L. C. Bliss. 1977. Alpine and high subalpine plant communities of the North Cascades Range, Washington and British Columbia. Ecological Monographs 47:113-150.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Potkin, M., and L. Munn. 1989. Subalpine and alpine plant communities in the Bridger Wilderness, Wind River Range, Wyoming. USDA Forest Service Contract No. 53-8555-3-00015. Department of Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie. 117 pp. plus appendix.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.