Print Report
CEGL001549 Artemisia cana (ssp. bolanderi, ssp. viscidula) - Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana / Poa cusickii Shrub Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Bolander Silver Sagebrush, Mountain Silver Sagebrush) - Mountain Big Sagebrush / Cusick''s Bluegrass Shrub Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is a tall shrubland occurring on moist playas or more commonly montane riparian benches (terraces) in the northern portions of the southern Blue Mountains, Great Basin, Modoc Plateau and eastern Cascades of Oregon, and potentially adjacent California and Nevada. Soils are generally deep alluvium with surface textures of fine sandy to silty clay loams. Water tables are high in May and June (within 60 cm of the surface), but drop to 120-160 cm between July and September. The shrub layer is codominated by both Artemisia cana and Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana, although the type includes some pure stands of Artemisia cana. The characteristic feature of these benches is the dominance of Poa cusickii (formerly merged into Poa fendleriana ssp. fendleriana). This species dominates all plots, but other grasses and sedges can be found, including Elymus caninus, Koeleria macrantha, Achnatherum occidentale, Carex praegracilis, and Muhlenbergia richardsonis. Common forbs include Symphyotrichum campestre var. bloomeri and Achillea millefolium.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: As with most sagebrush communities, these are poorly sampled. This type has been well inventoried and sampled in Oregon, and is a distinct community. With additional plots from California and Nevada, this type might get split. Poa cusickii and Artemisia cana are found at middle elevations from British Columbia to California and east to Colorado, so this type may be more widespread. It is possible that with additional data, occurrences with Artemisia cana could be split from those dominated by Artemisia tridentata. No Artemisia tridentata / Poa cusickii communities have been described.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The shrub layer is codominated by both Artemisia cana and Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana, although the type includes some pure stands of Artemisia cana. The characteristic feature of these benches is the dominance of Poa cusickii (formerly merged into Poa fendleriana ssp. fendleriana). This species dominates all plots, but other grasses and sedges can be found, including Elymus caninus, Koeleria macrantha (= Koeleria nitida), Achnatherum occidentale, Carex praegracilis, and Muhlenbergia richardsonis. Common forbs include Symphyotrichum campestre var. bloomeri (= Aster campestris var. bloomeri) and Achillea millefolium.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association is a tall shrubland occurring on moist playas or more commonly montane riparian benches (terraces) in the northern portions of the southern Blue Mountains, Great Basin, Modoc Plateau and eastern Cascades of Oregon, and potentially adjacent California and Nevada. Soils are generally deep alluvium with surface textures of fine sandy to silty clay loams. Water tables are high in May and June (within 60 cm of the surface), but drop to 120-160 cm between July and September.
Geographic Range: This community has only been described in Oregon, from central Oregon in the Ochoco Mountains, and through the southern portion of the eastern Cascades. A small occurrence was seen in the Jarbridge Wilderness Area in northern Nevada. It is probably found elsewhere in the northern Great Basin.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA?, NV?, OR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686020
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.3 Big Sagebrush - Threetip Sagebrush - Antelope Bitterbrush Steppe & Shrubland Macrogroup | M169 | 3.B.1.Ne.3 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.3.c Spiked Big Sagebrush - Mountain Big Sagebrush - Mountain Silver Sagebrush Steppe & Shrubland Group | G304 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.c |
| Alliance | A3200 Bolander''s Silver Sagebrush - Mountain Silver Sagebrush Steppe & Shrubland Alliance | A3200 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.c |
| Association | CEGL001549 (Bolander Silver Sagebrush, Mountain Silver Sagebrush) - Mountain Big Sagebrush / Cusick''s Bluegrass Shrub Grassland | CEGL001549 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.c |
Concept Lineage: Upgraded to Standard during screening.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Artemisia tridentata - Artemisia cana / Poa cusickii (Kovalchik 1987) [(p.65)]
- 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.
- Kartesz, J. T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC.
- Kovalchik, B. L. 1987. Riparian zone associations - Deschutes, Ochoco, Fremont, and Winema national forests. Technical Paper 279-87. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 171 pp.
- ORNHP [Oregon Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data files. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.