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CEGL007761 Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa / Spartina spartinae Shrubland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Honey Mesquite / Gulf Cordgrass Shrubland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This association is a deciduous shrubland occurring on heavy-textured saline soils, usually immediately inland from tidal flats, in the vicinity of Laguna Madre in southern Texas and adjacent Tamaulipas, Mexico. Coverage by woody plants, primarily Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa, is variable. The growth of Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa is sometimes stunted, possibly by high salinity levels and clayey soils. Coverage by tall, coarse, perennial bunchgrasses, particularly Spartina spartinae and less frequently Sporobolus wrightii, is usually high. Other important species include Borrichia frutescens, Prosopis reptans, and Suaeda sp. Other woody species sometimes scattered in this community include Yucca treculeana, Maytenus phyllanthoides, Gymnosperma glutinosum, Karwinskia humboldtiana, Zanthoxylum fagara, and Schaefferia cuneifolia. While Prosopis glandulosa can tolerate low to moderate saline conditions, it is not thought to thrive in salinity levels common in Spartina spartinae grasslands; therefore, it is unexpected to see these two species persisting together. This vegetation may be a disturbance type resulting from heavy grazing and may also occur in areas where the groundwater salinity is increasing. It is thought to occur naturally in the ecotone between Spartina spartinae-dominated grasslands and Prosopis glandulosa-dominated woodlands and possibly in areas where saline surface soils favor Spartina spartinae and a lower salinity water table below the surface allows the establishment of Prosopis glandulosa.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: The relationship between this community, ~Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa / Spartina spartinae Shrubland (CEGL007761)$$ and ~Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa - Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri - Borrichia frutescens Shrubland (CEGL007790)$$ is unclear. A working hypothesis is that they separate out along salinity and hydrological gradients with the later community occurring in areas slightly lower on the landscape and possibly more saline.

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

Floristics: This community is dominated by Spartina spartinae. Other ground cover components include Sporobolus wrightii, Borrichia frutescens, Prosopis reptans, Suaeda conferta, and Suaeda linearis. Coverage by woody plants, primarily Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa, is variable. Other woody species sometimes scattered in this community include Yucca treculeana, Maytenus phyllanthoides, Gymnosperma glutinosum, Karwinskia humboldtiana, and Schaefferia cuneifolia. Johnston (1952) suggests that in some areas this vegetation is natural, resulting from the Spartina spartinae occupying higher salinity surface soils and Prosopis glandulosa reaching a lower salinity water table below the surface.

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  This community is found on heavy-textured, saline soils just inland from tidal flats along the coast of southern Texas and northern Mexico. It may exist as the result of disturbance such as grazing or increased salinity levels or it may occur naturally in ecotones and specialized environments. More information is needed on the role of anthropogenic disturbance and fire suppression in promoting this community.
Geographic Range: This community is known from the coast of south Texas and northern Mexico.

Nations: MX,US

States/Provinces:  MXTAM, TX


Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?

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.4 Temperate to Polar Scrub & Herb Coastal Vegetation Formation F005 2.B.4
Division 2.B.4.Na Eastern North American Coastal Scrub & Herb Vegetation Division D026 2.B.4.Na
Macrogroup 2.B.4.Na.2 American Beachgrass - Sea-oats - Seaside Goldenrod Dune & Grassland Macrogroup M057 2.B.4.Na.2
Group 2.B.4.Na.2.a Wax-myrtle - Sea-oats - Shore Little Bluestem Dune & Grassland Group G494 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Alliance A4061 Gulf Cordgrass - Little Bluestem - Bracted Blazingstar Saline Coastal Prairie Alliance A4061 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Association CEGL007761 Honey Mesquite / Gulf Cordgrass Shrubland CEGL007761 2.B.4.Na.2.a
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Sacahuiste (Johnston 1952)
Concept Author(s): M.C. Johnston (1952)

Author of Description: B. Carr and A.S. Weakley

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 07-28-98
  • Johnston, M. C. 1952. Vegetation of eastern Cameron County, Texas. M.S. thesis, University of Texas, Austin. 127 pp.
  • Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.