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CEGL005821 Ceanothus cordulatus / Sparse Understory Sierran Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Mountain Whitethorn / Sparse Understory Sierran Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shrubland association is currently only known from Yosemite National Park in California, and the following description is based on occurrences there. Additional information will be added as it becomes available. Stands are found at mid elevations (1675-2195 m [5500-7200 feet]) on the mid to upper portions of gentle to steep slopes (3-31°). This association is found on all aspects of linear or convex-shaped slopes. Soils are formed on a granitic substrate and are moderately well-developed with textures that range from loamy gravelly sand to clay loam. These sites are well-drained to poorly drained with soil depths ranging from moderately deep to deep. Fire is common in this association, and litter cover can be high in stands where there has not been recent fire. This is often associated with canopy openings of Abies lowiana in postburn communities. Stands of this shrubland form an intermittent to continuous shrub layer dominated by Ceanothus cordulatus. Tree species are occasionally present and may include Abies lowiana, Calocedrus decurrens, Pinus lambertiana, Pinus ponderosa, and Quercus kelloggii; however, these are often in the shrub layer and contribute to minor cover. Arctostaphylos patula is usually found in the shrub layer. Occasional shrubs include Ribes roezlii, Chrysolepis sempervirens, and Ceanothus parvifolius. Ceanothus cuneatus, Prunus emarginata, and Prunus virginiana var. demissa can be common in some stands. The herbaceous layer is open and may include Gayophytum diffusum, Hackelia velutina, Bromus tectorum, and Lupinus sp.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Many stands are transitional to ~Abies lowiana / Ceanothus cordulatus Forest (CEGL008608)$$ or other associations within ~Abies lowiana - Pinus lambertiana Forest Alliance (A3672)$$. The most extensive stands of this association occur in areas where the canopies of ~Abies lowiana - Pinus lambertiana Forest Alliance (A3672)$$ and ~Abies lowiana - Abies magnifica var. magnifica - Abies magnifica var. shastensis Forest Alliance (A3678)$$ have been eliminated by crownfire.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands of this shrubland form an intermittent to continuous shrub layer dominated by Ceanothus cordulatus. Tree species are occasionally present and may include Abies lowiana, Calocedrus decurrens, Pinus lambertiana, Pinus ponderosa, and Quercus kelloggii; however, these are often in the shrub layer and contribute to minor cover. Arctostaphylos patula is usually found in the shrub layer. Occasional shrubs include Ribes roezlii (= Grossularia roezlii), Chrysolepis sempervirens, and Ceanothus parvifolius. Ceanothus cuneatus, Prunus emarginata, and Prunus virginiana var. demissa can be common in some stands. The herbaceous layer is open and may include Gayophytum diffusum, Hackelia velutina, Bromus tectorum, and Lupinus sp.
Dynamics: Fire is common in this association, and litter cover can be high in stands where there has not been recent fire. This is often associated with canopy openings of Abies lowiana in postburn communities.
Environmental Description: Stands are found at mid elevations (1675-2195 m [5500-7200 feet]) on the mid to upper portions of gentle to steep slopes (3-31°). This association is found on all aspects of linear or convex-shaped slopes. Soils are formed on a granitic substrate and are moderately well-developed with textures that range from loamy gravelly sand to clay loam. These sites are well-drained to poorly drained with soil depths ranging from moderately deep to deep.
Geographic Range: This association is only known from the western side of Yosemite National Park in California. Information about its global characteristics is not available without additional inventory.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685638
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Ng Western North American Interior Chaparral Division | D061 | 2.B.2.Ng |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Ng.1 Greenleaf Manzanita - Snowbrush Ceanothus - Huckleberry Oak Montane Chaparral Macrogroup | M094 | 2.B.2.Ng.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Ng.1.a Greenleaf Manzanita - Pinemat Manzanita - Snowbrush Ceanothus Montane Sclerophyll Scrub Group | G282 | 2.B.2.Ng.1.a |
| Alliance | A3917 Mountain Whitethorn - Deerbrush Shrubland Alliance | A3917 | 2.B.2.Ng.1.a |
| Association | CEGL005821 Mountain Whitethorn / Sparse Understory Sierran Shrubland | CEGL005821 | 2.B.2.Ng.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Ceanothus cordulatus (Sawyer et al. 2009) [37.209.01]
= Ceanothus cordulatus Shrubland (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012)
= Ceanothus cordulatus Shrubland (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012)
- Keeler-Wolf, T., M. Schindel, S. San, P. Moore, and D. Hickson. 2003a. Classification of the vegetation of Yosemite National Park and surrounding environs in Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera and Mono counties, California. Unpublished report by NatureServe in cooperation with the California Native Plant Society and California Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch, Sacramento, CA.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., P. E. Moore, E. T. Reyes, J. M. Menke, D. N. Johnson, and D. L. Karavidas. 2012. Yosemite National Park vegetation classification and mapping project report. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/YOSE/NRTR--2012/598. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Sawyer, J. O., T. Keeler-Wolf, and J. Evens. 2009. A manual of California vegetation. Second edition. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento CA. 1300 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.