Print Report
CEGL001759 Bouteloua gracilis - Pleuraphis jamesii Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Blue Grama - James'' Galleta Grassland
Colloquial Name: Blue Grama - Galleta Semi-Desert Grassland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These grasslands occur on alluvial flats, mesas and plains in the semi-arid southwestern Great Plains and the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Colorado, New Mexico, northern Arizona and southern Utah. Elevation ranges from 1625-2230 m (5330-6110 feet) in central and western New Mexico and on the Colorado Plateau and extends below 1525 m (5000 feet) in the southwestern Great Plains. Sites are flat to undulating, with shallow to moderately deep, loam to silty clay loam-textured soils. In western New Mexico, it is typically found on gently rolling, weathered, lava plateaus with substrates derived from volcanic basalt, but occasionally on gentle sideslopes of low hills on alluvium derived from sandstone. The ground surface is characterized by scattered bunchgrasses intermixed with exposed soil and litter; there may also be a strong component of gravel and rock. Stands are codominated by the graminoids Bouteloua gracilis and Pleuraphis jamesii. These short and medium-tall perennial bunchgrasses may form a sod-like ground cover with patches of bare ground, especially where grazing by livestock encourages a prostrate growth form. Canopy cover is relatively sparse to moderately dense (20-80% cover). Other grasses include Bouteloua dactyloides, Muhlenbergia torreyi, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Aristida spp., Achnatherum hymenoides, Pascopyrum smithii, Hesperostipa comata, or Hesperostipa neomexicana. Forb cover is generally sparse but may be diverse. Characteristic species include Cryptantha spp., Grindelia squarrosa, Machaeranthera pinnatifida, Ratibida spp., Sphaeralcea coccinea, and Zinnia grandiflora. Scattered dwarf-shrubs, shrubs and cacti, such as Artemisia bigelovii, Artemisia frigida, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Cylindropuntia imbricata, Opuntia polyacantha, Prosopis glandulosa (southern stands), and Yucca glauca, are not uncommon. Codominance of Bouteloua gracilis and Pleuraphis jamesii distinguishes this vegetation from several closely related grasslands. Seedling and sapling Juniperus monosperma and Pinus edulis, when present, are scattered in these grasslands, and shrubs are scarce (making up less than 2% of cover) and most commonly represented by Gutierrezia sarothrae and Ericameria nauseosa.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: More classification and survey work is needed to distinguish this type from closely related grasslands over its relatively broad geographic range, and to inventory its extent and condition.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association is characterized by an open to moderately dense (20-80% cover) herbaceous layer that is codominated by the graminoids Bouteloua gracilis and Pleuraphis jamesii (= Hilaria jamesii). These short and medium-tall perennial bunchgrasses may form a sod-like ground cover with patches of bare ground, especially where grazing by livestock encourages a prostrate growth form. Other grasses include Bouteloua dactyloides (= Buchloe dactyloides), Muhlenbergia torreyi, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Aristida spp., Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides), Pascopyrum smithii, Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata), or Hesperostipa neomexicana (= Stipa neomexicana). Forb cover is generally sparse but may be diverse. Characteristic species include Cryptantha spp., Grindelia squarrosa, Machaeranthera pinnatifida, Ratibida spp., Sphaeralcea coccinea, and Zinnia grandiflora. Scattered dwarf-shrubs, shrubs and cacti, such as Artemisia bigelovii, Artemisia frigida, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Cylindropuntia imbricata, Opuntia polyacantha, Prosopis glandulosa (southern stands), and Yucca glauca are not uncommon. Codominance of Bouteloua gracilis and Pleuraphis jamesii distinguishes this vegetation from several closely related grasslands. Seedling and sapling Juniperus monosperma and Pinus edulis, when present, are scattered in these grasslands, and shrubs are scarce (making up less than 2% of cover) and most commonly represented by Gutierrezia sarothrae and Ericameria nauseosa.
Dynamics: Bouteloua gracilis is an extremely drought- and grazing-tolerant shortgrass species. It is one of the most widely distributed grasses in the western U.S. and is present in many different grassland, shrubland and woodland communities. It evolved with grazing by large herbivores and generally forms a short sod. However, in some stands ungrazed plants develop the upright physiognomy of a bunchgrass.
Environmental Description: These grasslands occur on alluvial flats, mesas and plains in the semi-arid southwestern Great Plains and the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Colorado, New Mexico, northern Arizona and southern Utah. Elevation ranges from 1625-1860 m (5330-6110 feet) in central and western New Mexico and on the Colorado Plateau and extends below 1525 m (5000 feet) in the southwestern Great Plains. Sites are flat to undulating, with shallow to moderately deep, loam to silty clay loam-textured soil. In western New Mexico, it is typically found on gently rolling, weathered, lava plateaus with substrates derived from volcanic basalt, but occasionally on gentle sideslopes of low hills on alluvium derived from sandstone. The ground surface is characterized by scattered bunch grasses intermixed with exposed soil and litter; there may also be a strong component of gravel and rock.
Geographic Range: These grasslands are found in the southern shortgrass steppe of southeastern Colorado and eastern New Mexico, and alluvial flats and mesas of the Colorado Plateau in New Mexico and Utah, south to Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge and Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in central New Mexico. It is also report from Utah and Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AZ, CO, NM, UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685306
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G4
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 3 Desert & Semi-Desert Class | C03 | 3 |
| Subclass | 3.B Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Subclass | S11 | 3.B |
| Formation | 3.B.1 Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Formation | F033 | 3.B.1 |
| Division | 3.B.1.Ne Western North American Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Division | D040 | 3.B.1.Ne |
| Macrogroup | 3.B.1.Ne.1 Yellow Rabbitbrush - Blackbrush / Indian Ricegrass Dry Shrubland & Grassland Macrogroup | M171 | 3.B.1.Ne.1 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c James'' Galleta - Indian Ricegrass - Needle-and-Thread Semi-Desert Grassland Group | G311 | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c |
| Alliance | A1287 James'' Galleta Grassland Alliance | A1287 | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c |
| Association | CEGL001759 Blue Grama - James'' Galleta Grassland | CEGL001759 | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Bouteloua gracilis - Hilaria jamesii Plant Community (Shaw et al. 1989) [Matrix grassland on plains in southeastern Colorado.]
= Bouteloua gracilis / Hilaria jamesii Plant Association (Johnston 1987) [cites Francis (1986).]
= Bouteloua gracilis / Hilaria jamesii Plant Community (Francis 1986)
= Hilaria jamesii - Bouteloua gracilis Plant Association (Muldavin et al. 1998d) [Common at Sevilleta NWR.]
= Bouteloua gracilis / Hilaria jamesii Plant Association (Johnston 1987) [cites Francis (1986).]
= Bouteloua gracilis / Hilaria jamesii Plant Community (Francis 1986)
= Hilaria jamesii - Bouteloua gracilis Plant Association (Muldavin et al. 1998d) [Common at Sevilleta NWR.]
- Beavis, W. D., J. C. Owens, J. A. Ludwig, and E. W. Huddleston. 1982. Grassland communities of east-central New Mexico and density of the range caterpillar, Hemileuca oliviae (Lepidoptera: Saturnidae). Southwestern Naturalist 27(3):335-343.
- 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.
- CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
- Clark, D., M. Dela Cruz, T. Clark, J. Coles, S. Topp, A. Evenden, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and J. Von Loh. 2009. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Capitol Reef National Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2009/187. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 882 pp.
- Dick-Peddie, W. A. 1993. New Mexico vegetation: Past, present, and future. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. 244 pp.
- Francis, R. E. 1986. Phyto-edaphic communities of the Upper Rio Puerco Watershed, New Mexico. Research Paper RM-272. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 73 pp.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Kearsley, M. J. C., K. Green, M. Tukman, M. Reid, M. Hall, T. J. Ayers, and K. Christie. 2015. Grand Canyon National Park-Grand Canyon / Parashant National Monument vegetation classification and mapping project. Natural Resource Report NPS/GRCA/NRR--2015/913. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 75 pp. plus appendices.
- Muldavin, E., G. Shore, K. Taugher, and B. Milne. 1998d. A vegetation map classification and map for the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. Final report submitted to USDI, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, NM, by the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. 73 pp. + appendices.
- Muldavin, E., Y. Chauvin, A. Kennedy, T. Neville, P. Neville, K. Schulz, and M. Reid. 2012a. Vegetation classification and map: Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SCPN/NRTR--2012/553. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Muldavin, E., Y. Chauvin, T. Neville, P. Neville, A. Kennedy, H. Hulse, P. Arbetan, K. Schultz, M. Hall, and M. Reid. 2013c. Vegetation classification and map: El Malpais National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SCPN/NRTR--2013/803. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. [http://nhnm.unm.edu/vlibrary/pubs_archive/nhnm/nonsensitive/R13MUL01NMUS.pdf]
- Reid, M. S., and M. E. Hall. 2010. Vegetation classification of Grand Canyon National Park. Draft report submitted to National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Rogers, C. M. 1953. The vegetation of the Mesa de Maya region of Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Lloydia 16(4):257-290.
- Romme, W. H., K. D. Heil, J. M. Porter, and R. Fleming. 1993. Plant communities of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. USDI National Park Service, Technical Report NPS/NAUCARE/NRTER-93/02. Cooperative Park Studies Unit, Northern Arizona University. 37 pp.
- Shaw, R. B., S. L. Anderson, K. A. Schultz, and V. E. Diersing. 1989. Plant communities, ecological checklist, and species list for the U.S. Army Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado. Colorado State University, Department of Range Science, Science Series No. 37, Fort Collins. 71 pp.
- Soil Conservation Service. 1978. Range site descriptions for Colorado. Technical Guide, Section II-E. USDA Soil Conservation Service, Colorado State Office, Denver.
- Terwilliger, C., K. Hess, and C. Wasser. 1979a. Key to the preliminary habitat types of Region 2. Addendum to initial progress report for habitat type classification. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. Fort Collins, CO.
- Thomas, K. A., M. L. McTeague, A. Cully, K. Schulz, and J. M. S. Hutchinson. 2009a. Vegetation classification and distribution mapping report: Petrified Forest National Park. National Resource Technical Report NPS/SCPN/NRTR--2009/273. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 294 pp.
- Van Pelt, N. S. 1978. Woodland parks in southeastern Utah. Unpublished thesis, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.