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CEGL003138 Carex helleri - Eriogonum incanum - Raillardella argentea Alpine Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Heller''s Sedge - Frosted Buckwheat - Silky Raillardella Alpine Meadow
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This herbaceous 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. This alpine herbaceous/grassland association grows in snow patches that often persist until late July. Elevation averages about 3200 m (10,500 feet). Slopes are gentle to moderately steep, and aspects are north to east. Stands are found on upper slopes and ridges with rapidly drained gravely loams or sandy loams derived from metamorphic parent material. This alpine grassland forms an open canopy of forbs and graminoids less than 0.5 m in height. Total cover is less than 50%. Raillardella argentea and Eriogonum incanum are the diagnostic forbs, though Arenaria kingii may be dominant in some stands. Other forbs that provide trace cover may include Arabis platysperma, Castilleja nana, Cistanthe monosperma, Draba densifolia, Lupinus confertus, Penstemon heterodoxus, and/or Silene sargentii. Perennial graminoids only provide a small portion of total cover with most species averaging about 1% cover. Diagnostic graminoid species include Carex helleri, Carex breweri, Carex straminiformis, and/or Carex subnigricans. Other graminoid associates may include Trisetum spicatum, Achnatherum occidentale, Elymus elymoides, and/or Agoseris glauca.
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: No Data Available
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: No Data Available
Geographic Range: This association is only known from the vicinity of Yosemite. Information about its global range is not available without additional inventory. Carex helleri has its center of distribution in the high mountains of California (including Mt. Shasta and the High Sierra Nevada). It ranges north to Oregon and east to Nevada.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686138
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 4 Polar & High Montane Scrub, Grassland & Barrens Class | C04 | 4 |
| Subclass | 4.B Temperate to Polar Alpine & Tundra Vegetation Subclass | S12 | 4.B |
| Formation | 4.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Alpine Tundra Formation | F037 | 4.B.1 |
| Division | 4.B.1.Nb Western North American Alpine Tundra Division | D043 | 4.B.1.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Nb.2 Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Blackroot Sedge - Moss Campion Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M099 | 4.B.1.Nb.2 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Nb.2.b Blackroot Sedge - Bellardi Bog Sedge - Cushion Phlox Alpine Turf & Fell-field Group | G314 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.b |
| Alliance | A3365 Heller''s Sedge Alpine Meadow Alliance | A3365 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.b |
| Association | CEGL003138 Heller''s Sedge - Frosted Buckwheat - Silky Raillardella Alpine Meadow | CEGL003138 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Carex helleri - Eriogonum incanum - Raillardella argentea (Sawyer et al. 2009) [45.145.05]
= Carex helleri - Eriogonum incanum - Raillardella argentea Herbaceous Vegetation (Keeler-Wolf 2002) [1 plot]
= Carex helleri- Eriogonum incanum-Raillardella argentea Herbaceous Vegetation (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012) [(Taylor 1984)]
= Eriogonum incanum - Raillardella argentea association (Taylor 1984)
= Carex helleri - Eriogonum incanum - Raillardella argentea Herbaceous Vegetation (Keeler-Wolf 2002) [1 plot]
= Carex helleri- Eriogonum incanum-Raillardella argentea Herbaceous Vegetation (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012) [(Taylor 1984)]
= Eriogonum incanum - Raillardella argentea association (Taylor 1984)
- Keeler-Wolf, T. 2002. Classification of the vegetation of Yosemite National Park and surrounding environs in Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera and Mono counties, California. NatureServe in cooperation with the California Native Plant Society and California Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, CA. August 2002.
- 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.
- Taylor, D. W. 1984. Vegetation of the Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, Inyo National Forest, California. Unpublished report. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Berkeley, CA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.