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CEGL001439 Atriplex gardneri - Picrothamnus desertorum Dwarf-shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Gardner''s Saltbush - Bud Sagebrush Dwarf-shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This dwarf-shrubland occurs on broad alluvial plains in the Big Horn Basin and Pryor mountains of Montana and possibly Wyoming. Elevation ranges from 1400-1460 m. Stands are restricted to arid climatic regimes and moderately alkaline, poorly drained soils derived from the Chugwater sandstone. Soils are very deep, poorly developed clays derived from alluvium. This association typically has a moderately dense dwarf-shrub canopy (58% mean cover) that is codominated by Atriplex gardneri and Picrothamnus desertorum. Krascheninnikovia lanata is common in some stands, and Artemisia tridentata is often present. Herbaceous cover is very sparse (<10% cover) and may include the grasses Poa secunda, Elymus elymoides, Achnatherum hymenoides, Bouteloua gracilis, Sporobolus cryptandrus, scattered forbs such as Lappula squarrosa, Ipomopsis pumila, Allium textile, Arenaria hookeri, and the cactus Opuntia polyacantha. There are nine other dwarf-shrubland associations and two shrublands with Atriplex gardneri dominant or codominant in the canopy, but none are codominated by Picrothamnus desertorum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association typically has a moderately dense dwarf-shrub canopy (58% mean cover) that is codominated by Atriplex gardneri and Picrothamnus desertorum (= Artemisia spinescens). Krascheninnikovia lanata is common in some stands, and Artemisia tridentata is often present. Herbaceous cover is very sparse (<10% cover) and may include the grasses Poa secunda, Elymus elymoides, Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides), Bouteloua gracilis, Sporobolus cryptandrus, scattered forbs such as Lappula squarrosa (= Lappula echinata), Ipomopsis pumila, Allium textile, Arenaria hookeri, and the cactus Opuntia polyacantha.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Elevation ranges from 1400-1460 m. Stands are restricted to arid climatic regimes and moderately alkaline, poorly drained soils derived from the Chugwater sandstone. Soils are very deep, poorly developed clays derived from alluvium.
Geographic Range: This association appears at this time to be restricted to the Bighorn Basin Section (of Bailey''s [1995] Intermountain Semi-desert Province), occurring in arid portions of Montana and Wyoming on fine-textured, saline, alluvial substrates. However, much ostensibly appropriate and uninventoried habitat occurs in the Central Basin and Green River Basin Sections, raising the possibility of extensive tracts of this association (Jones pers. comm. 1997).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685576
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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.5 Shadscale Saltbush - Fourwing Saltbush - Mat Saltbush Great Basin Scrub Macrogroup | M093 | 3.B.1.Ne.5 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.5.a Mat Saltbush - Gardner''s Saltbush - Birdfoot Sagebrush Dwarf-Scrub Group | G301 | 3.B.1.Ne.5.a |
| Alliance | A1110 Gardner''s Saltbush Low Scrub Alliance | A1110 | 3.B.1.Ne.5.a |
| Association | CEGL001439 Gardner''s Saltbush - Bud Sagebrush Dwarf-shrubland | CEGL001439 | 3.B.1.Ne.5.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Atriplex gardneri - Artemisia spinescens Dwarf-shrubland (Reid et al. 1994)
= Atriplex nuttallii / Artemisia spinescens Community Type (DeVelice and Lesica 1993)
= Atriplex nuttallii / Artemisia spinescens Community Type (Lesica and DeVelice 1992)
= Atriplex nuttallii / Artemisia spinescens Community Type (DeVelice and Lesica 1993)
= Atriplex nuttallii / Artemisia spinescens Community Type (Lesica and DeVelice 1992)
- 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.
- DeVelice, R. L., and P. Lesica. 1993. Plant community classification for vegetation on BLM lands, Pryor Mountains, Carbon County, Montana. Unpublished report by Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 78 pp.
- Lesica, P., and R. L. DeVelice. 1992. Plant communities of the Pryor Mountains. Preliminary report prepared by the Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Reid, M. S., L. S. Engelking, and P. S. Bourgeron. 1994. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, Western Region. Pages 305-620 in: D. H. Grossman, K. L. Goodin, and C. L. Reuss, editors. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, an initial survey. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.