Print Report

CEGL001165 Cornus sericea Rocky Mountain Wet Shrubland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Red-osier Dogwood Rocky Mountain Wet Shrubland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This riparian tall shrubland is widespread in the Columbia Basin, the Intermountain Basin, and in the Rocky Mountains, and is discontinuously scattered in sheltered areas of the Colorado Plateau. It often forms continuous, narrow bands along streambanks, benches and bars, as well as in slot canyons. Many stands are located on nearly level, frequently flooded banks, in burns in steep avalanche chutes, or otherwise experience periodic disturbance. It also can form very dense, small stands with limited disturbance, often at the base of a cliff. Soils are relatively deep, well-drained silty to sandy clay loams derived from alluvium, colluvium or glacial till. Elevations range from 715 to 2700 m (2300-8800 feet), with the lower elevations occurring at the northern end of the range in Montana, the higher elevations in Utah and Colorado. The tall (1-2 m) deciduous shrub canopy is dominated by Cornus sericea, generally accompanied by other tall shrubs, including Prunus virginiana, Ribes aureum, Crataegus douglasii, Acer glabrum, Alnus incana, Salix bebbiana, Salix scouleriana, Cercocarpus ledifolius, and Juniperus scopulorum. Short shrubs have sparse to moderate cover and include Rosa woodsii, Symphoricarpos spp., Paxistima myrsinites, Mahonia repens, Arctostaphylos patula, Ribes cereum, and the liana Clematis ligusticifolia. The understory is diverse and ranges from sparse to dense depending on how closed the tall-shrub layer is. Common forbs include Thalictrum occidentale, Solidago canadensis, Aralia nudicaulis, Heracleum maximum, Heliomeris multiflora, Erythronium grandiflorum, Equisetum arvense, Maianthemum stellatum, Sanicula marilandica, Angelica arguta, and Symphyotrichum laeve. Graminoids are generally less important but may include significant cover by Elymus glaucus or Calamagrostis canadensis. The majority of the herbaceous layer may consist of non-native species, including Cirsium arvense, Dactylis glomerata, Agrostis stolonifera, Poa palustris, Phalaris arundinacea, and Phleum pratense.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This association is defined as a PNV vegetation type. If it were renamed as a dominance type, the species would include Ribes hudsonianum (RIHU). This association appears to be a broadly defined type that may be split in the future as more information becomes available. As such it is low-confidence. All references are surprising similar in their acceptance of variability within this type.

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

Floristics: This shrubland can be a pure stand of impenetrable Cornus sericea or more open with several other shrub species. Typically Cornus sericea is the dominant shrub; other shrubs commonly present include Prunus virginiana, Crataegus douglasii, Acer glabrum, Alnus incana, Ribes aureum, Rosa woodsii, Salix bebbiana, Salix scouleriana, Cercocarpus ledifolius, and Juniperus scopulorum. Short shrubs have sparse to moderate cover and include Rosa woodsii, Symphoricarpos oreophilus, Symphoricarpos albus, Paxistima myrsinites, Mahonia repens, Arctostaphylos patula, and Ribes cereum. The understory is diverse and ranges from sparse to dense depending on how closed the tall-shrub layer is. Total vegetation cover is rarely less than 75% and often exceeds 100%. Some stands are dominated by Heracleum maximum, others by Equisetum arvense, and others by Maianthemum stellatum with other forbs, such as Thalictrum occidentale, Solidago canadensis, Aralia nudicaulis, Heliomeris multiflora, Erythronium grandiflorum, Mimulus eastwoodiae, Aquilegia micrantha, Platanthera zothecina (= Habenaria zothecina), and Artemisia ludoviciana. Sanicula marilandica, Angelica arguta, and Symphyotrichum laeve (= Aster laevis). Graminoids are generally less important but may include significant cover by Carex aurea, Elymus glaucus, Calamagrostis canadensis, and Calamagrostis scopulorum. The majority of the herbaceous layer may consist of non-native species, including Cirsium arvense, Dactylis glomerata, Agrostis stolonifera, Poa palustris, Phalaris arundinacea, and Phleum pratense.

Dynamics:  This association occurs in wet montane sites that may experience periodic disturbance. Many of the sampled stands are located on frequently flooded banks, in burns or in avalanche chutes. Stands have densest shrub cover when undisturbed and tend to open up if grazed by cattle (Hansen et al. 1995).
Environmental Description:  This tall shrubland association occurs as a narrow stringer adjacent to stream channels, near seeps on moist toeslopes of canyon walls, on narrow benches in ravines, narrow terraces of wider valleys, as well as floodplains. Stands have been documented in the Columbia Basin, the Great Basin, throughout the lower elevations of the Rocky Mountains, and in sheltered riparian areas of the Colorado Plateau. Elevations range from 715 m (3600 feet) near the Canadian border in Montana to 2700 m (8800 feet) in southern Utah and Colorado. Stands may occur on nearly level riparian sites or on steep, wet, rocky slopes or at the base of cliffs. Rocks and litter often cover most of the unvegetated surface. The soils are generally derived from glacial till, alluvium or colluvium and are often sandy loams or clay loams.
Geographic Range: This is a widespread western riparian shrubland that is documented by plot data in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY


Confidence Level: High

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4Q

Greasons: No Data Available
Type Name Database Code Classification Code
Class 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class C02 2
Subclass 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass S44 2.C
Formation 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation F013 2.C.4
Division 2.C.4.Nb Western North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division D031 2.C.4.Nb
Macrogroup 2.C.4.Nb.5 Sitka Alder - Booth''s Willow / Northwest Territory Sedge Montane Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup M893 2.C.4.Nb.5
Group 2.C.4.Nb.5.d Willow species - Alder species - Water Birch Riparian & Seep Shrubland Group G527 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Alliance A3773 Red-osier Dogwood - Shrubby-cinquefoil - Currant species Wet Shrubland Alliance A3773 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Association CEGL001165 Red-osier Dogwood Rocky Mountain Wet Shrubland CEGL001165 2.C.4.Nb.5.d
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Cornus sericea / Heracleum lanatum Community Type (Youngblood et al. 1985a)
= Cornus sericea / Heracleum lanatum Community Type (Padgett et al. 1989)
? Cornus sericea Shrubland (Crawford et al. 2009)
= Cornus sericea ssp. sericea Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Cornus sericea (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Cornus sericea Association (Crawford 2003)
= Cornus sericea Community Type (Manning and Padgett 1995)
= Cornus sericea Community Type (Hansen et al. 1988b)
= Cornus sericea Plant Association (Jankovsky-Jones et al. 2001)
= Cornus sericea Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
= Cornus stolonifera / Saxifraga arguta (Crowe and Clausnitzer 1997) [(p.166)]
= Cornus stolonifera Association (Diaz and Mellen 1996) [(p.115)]
< Cornus stolonifera Flood Site Association (MacKenzie and Moran 2004)
= Red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1999a)
Concept Author(s): Western Ecology Group

Author of Description: G. Kittel and J. Coles

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 02-24-09
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