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CEGL000947 Salix amygdaloides Riparian Woodland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Peachleaf Willow Riparian Woodland

Colloquial Name: Peachleaf Willow Riparian Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This peachleaf willow woodland type is found in the northern Rocky Mountains and into northern parts of the western Great Plains. Stands occur in riparian areas, located in backwater areas and overflow channels of large rivers, on narrow floodplains of small creeks, and on the edges of ponds and lakes. Often it occurs in small isolated clumps adjacent to streams and rivers. The water table is usually within 1 m (3 feet) of the soil surface during the growing season, and the vegetation is tolerant of flooding. Salix amygdaloides associations may occur on a range of soil types, except heavy clays. It is most common on silty to sandy soils. It is tolerant of flooding and weakly saline or alkaline soils. Soils may be saturated to within 1 m (3 feet) of the surface during much of the growing season. The vegetation is dominated by Salix amygdaloides.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: In the Black Hills, Peachleaf Willow Woodland has been documented from a single site, along Iron Creek near its confluence with Spearfish Creek. In this stand, Salix amygdaloides (peachleaf willow) forms a tall-shrub stratum with Salix bebbiana (Bebb willow) and Cornus sericea (red-osier dogwood). Stands occur as intermittent patches in a narrow zone along the creek. The overall size is less than 0.5 acre, and peachleaf willow forms a shrubland rather than a woodland. The very limited extent of the type and its atypical structure suggest that Peachleaf Willow Woodland may not be a valid type for the area (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000). Thompson and Hansen (2002) documented five stands in southern Alberta and, although listing them as shrub types, describe the vegetation as consisting of "a tree layer dominated by the short-statured Salix amygdaloides." Four stands have been documented from eastern Colorado (Carsey et al. 2003a).

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: Salix amygdaloides provides a low, multi-stemmed canopy that may vary in cover from 25 to 85%. Salix lutea may be absent but reaches up to 80% cover in some stands. Similarly, Cornus sericea has significant cover in some stands (up to 40%) but is absent in others. Other shrubs that may be present include Ribes aureum, Salix exigua, or Symphoricarpos occidentalis. The understory varies considerably depending on the hydrologic regime and past disturbance of the site. There is little constancy of understory woody vegetation. There is usually a well-developed herbaceous understory, but it is variable in composition. Species that may be significant (but absent in some stands) include Pascopyrum smithii, Phalaris arundinacea, Poa palustris, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, Schoenoplectus pungens, Scirpus pallidus, and Eleocharis palustris, as well as introduced species such as Bromus inermis, Chenopodium album, Melilotus spp., and Elymus repens.

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  This riparian community occurs as stringers in a variety of locations such as backwater areas, old meander channels and wetland margins or as clumps along water courses (Thompson and Hansen 2002). Soils are usually Regosols or Chernozems, and the water table typically stays within 1 m of the soil surface during the growing season.
Geographic Range: This peachleaf willow woodland type is found in the northern Rocky Mountains, ranging from Idaho to Montana and into parts of the western Great Plains and north into southern Alberta.

Nations: CA,US

States/Provinces:  AB, CO, ID, MT, NE, SD, WY?


Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3

Greasons: No Data Available
Type Name Database Code Classification Code
Class 1 Forest & Woodland Class C01 1
Subclass 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass S15 1.B
Formation 1.B.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation F026 1.B.3
Division 1.B.3.Nd Western North American Interior Flooded Forest Division D013 1.B.3.Nd
Macrogroup 1.B.3.Nd.2 Interior Warm & Cool Desert Riparian Forest Macrogroup M036 1.B.3.Nd.2
Group 1.B.3.Nd.2.b Western Interior Riparian Forest & Woodland Group G797 1.B.3.Nd.2.b
Alliance A3798 Rio Grande Cottonwood - Plains Cottonwood - Peachleaf Willow Riparian Woodland Alliance A3798 1.B.3.Nd.2.b
Association CEGL000947 Peachleaf Willow Riparian Woodland CEGL000947 1.B.3.Nd.2.b
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Salix amygdaloides woodland (Allen 2005)
= Salix amygdaloides Woodland (Butler et al. 2002)
= Salix amygdaloides Woodland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
= Salix amygdaloides Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
Concept Author(s): D. Faber-Langendoen (2001)

Author of Description: G. Kittel and L. Allen

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 05-26-06
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