Print Report
CEGL001371 Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex confertifolia - (Picrothamnus desertorum, Suaeda moquinii) Wet Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Greasewood / Shadscale Saltbush - (Bud Sagebrush, Mojave Seablite) Wet Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This short-shrub association occurs on high alluvial terraces and canyon bottoms, as well as in the outer ring of palustrine or lacustrine wetlands on basin floors. Stands are reported from scattered sites in the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah, the Great Basin of northern Nevada, and the Columbia Basin of southeastern Oregon. This association is located high enough above the flood zone or water table that there is rarely standing water on the ground surface. Sites are generally level or gently sloping and occur between 1125 and 1300 m (3700-4300 feet) elevation in Nevada and between 1525 and 1830 m (5000-6000 feet) elevation in Utah. Most of the unvegetated ground surface is bare soil. Parent materials include alluvium, lake bottom deposits and eolian loess. Soils are deep, saline, well-drained sands, sandy loams or sandy clays. Total vegetation cover rarely exceeds 40%; the vegetation is characterized by a mixed shrub canopy of Sarcobatus vermiculatus generally accompanied by lesser amounts of Atriplex confertifolia and Suaeda moquinii. Other associated shrubs are sparse and variable, including Allenrolfea occidentalis, Picrothamnus desertorum, Atriplex canescens, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Tetradymia spinosa, and Opuntia polyacantha. The herbaceous layer provides sparse to moderate cover. Graminoids vary throughout the range, but common species include Bromus tectorum, Distichlis spicata, Elymus elymoides, Sporobolus airoides, Sporobolus contractus, and Sporobolus cryptandrus. Forbs provide variable cover as they tend to be dominated by annual exotics, such as Bassia hyssopifolia, Lepidium perfoliatum, Salsola tragus, and Halogeton glomeratus.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The concepts of this association and that of ~Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Suaeda moquinii Wet Shrubland (CEGL001370)$$ are not clearly distinguished; the two may need to be combined for consistency and ease of identification.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association is found on valley bottoms and the outer reaches of floodplains in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. Total vegetation cover rarely exceeds 40% in these stands growing on saline soils. The vegetation is characterized by a mixed shrub canopy of Sarcobatus vermiculatus generally accompanied by lesser amounts of Atriplex confertifolia and Suaeda moquinii. Other associated shrubs are sparse and variable, including Allenrolfea occidentalis, Picrothamnus desertorum, Atriplex canescens, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Tetradymia spinosa, and Opuntia polyacantha. The herbaceous layer provides sparse to moderate cover. Graminoids vary throughout the range, but common species include Bromus tectorum, Distichlis spicata, Elymus elymoides, Sporobolus airoides, Sporobolus contractus, and Sporobolus cryptandrus. Forbs provide variable cover as they tend to be dominated by annual exotics, such as Bassia hyssopifolia, Lepidium perfoliatum, Salsola tragus, and Halogeton glomeratus.
Dynamics: The low cover of native graminoids and the abundance of exotic weedy species in the herbaceous layer indicate a long history of domestic livestock grazing.
Environmental Description: This short-shrub association occurs on high alluvial terraces and canyon bottoms, as well as in the outer ring of palustrine or lacustrine wetlands on basin floors. Stands are reported from scattered sites in the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah, the Great Basin of northern Nevada, and the Columbia Basin of southeastern Oregon. This association is located high enough above the flood zone or water table that there is rarely standing water on the ground surface. Sites are generally level or gently sloping and occur between 1125 and 1300 m (3700-4300 feet) elevation in Nevada and between 1525 and 1830 m (5000-6000 feet) elevation in Utah. Most of the unvegetated ground surface is bare soil. Parent materials are variable and include alluvium, lake bottom deposits and eolian loess. Soils are deep, saline, well-drained sands, sandy loams or sandy clays.
Geographic Range: This association has been documented from the Great Basin, Columbia Basin and Colorado Plateau in northern Nevada, southeastern Oregon and southeastern Utah.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NV, OR, UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685558
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G5?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.5 Salt Marsh Formation | F035 | 2.C.5 |
| Division | 2.C.5.Nd North American Western Interior Brackish Marsh, Playa & Shrubland Division | D036 | 2.C.5.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.5.Nd.1 Warm & Cool Desert Alkali-Saline Marsh, Playa & Shrubland Macrogroup | M082 | 2.C.5.Nd.1 |
| Group | 2.C.5.Nd.1.b Greasewood - Saltbush species Alkaline-Saline Wet Scrub Group | G537 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.b |
| Alliance | A1046 Greasewood Intermountain Wet Shrubland Alliance | A1046 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.b |
| Association | CEGL001371 Greasewood / Shadscale Saltbush - (Bud Sagebrush, Mojave Seablite) Wet Shrubland | CEGL001371 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Suaeda moquinii Plant Association (Bundy et al. 1996)
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