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CEGL000684 Quercus emoryi / Dasylirion wheeleri Scrub Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Emory Oak / Common Sotol Scrub Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This Madrean woodland savanna association is known from the Mule Mountains in southeastern Arizona, but it likely occurs elsewhere in Arizona, New Mexico, or northern Mexico. Stands occur on lower mountain slopes at around 1460 m (4800 feet) with northerly aspects and extend up to 1830 m (6000 feet) on southern slopes. This an open oak woodland dominated by Quercus emoryi. Quercus grisea or Quercus arizonica along with Pinus cembroides can be present, but they are not dominant or codominant. The understory is moderately diverse (47 species have been recorded for the association), with both a conspicuous shrub component dominated by Dasylirion wheeleri and a grassy understory dominated by Schizachyrium cirratum, Muhlenbergia emersleyi, and Aristida schiedeana var. orcuttiana.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Oak savannas having scattered trees (usually 3-5 m [10-16 feet] tall) with Quercus emoryi attaining < 5 % cover; with grassy understory on colluvial soils (soil materials accumulated through actions of gravity in addition to wind and water).
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: May not be distinct from ~Quercus emoryi / Muhlenbergia emersleyi Scrub Woodland (CEGL000685)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This an open oak woodland dominated by Quercus emoryi. Quercus grisea or Quercus arizonica along with Pinus cembroides can be present, but they are not dominant or codominant. The understory is moderately diverse (47 species have been recorded for the association), with both a conspicuous shrub component dominated by Dasylirion wheeleri and a grassy understory dominated by Schizachyrium cirratum, Muhlenbergia emersleyi, and Aristida schiedeana var. orcuttiana (= Aristida orcuttiana).
Dynamics: Small-sized Quercus emoryi may be top-killed by fire. Large trees survive fires of low severity. Well-developed root systems of mature Quercus emoryi buffer the effects of drought and allow rapid regeneration by sprouting vigorously from root crown and stump after top damage. It recovers quickly from the effects of burning. Unless covered by an insulating layer of soil, acorns are probably killed by fire.
Environmental Description: Stands occur on lower mountain slopes at around 1460 m (4800 feet) with northerly aspects and extend up to 1830 m (6000 feet) on southern slopes.
Geographic Range: This association is known from the Mule Mountains in southeastern Arizona, but it likely occurs elsewhere in Arizona, New Mexico, or northern Mexico.
Nations: MX?,US
States/Provinces: AZ, MXSON?, NM?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686276
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F018 | 1.B.1 |
| Division | 1.B.1.Nd Madrean-Balconian Forest & Woodland Division | D060 | 1.B.1.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.1.Nd.1 Alligator Juniper - Mexican Pinyon - Arizona White Oak Madrean Lowland Evergreen Woodland Macrogroup | M010 | 1.B.1.Nd.1 |
| Group | 1.B.1.Nd.1.a Arizona White Oak - Emory Oak - Mexican Blue Oak Woodland Group | G201 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.a |
| Alliance | A3101 Arizona White Oak - Emory Oak - Gray Oak Scrub Woodland Alliance | A3101 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.a |
| Association | CEGL000684 Emory Oak / Common Sotol Scrub Woodland | CEGL000684 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus emoryi / Dasylirion wheeleri (Stuever and Hayden 1997b)
< Open Oak Woodland (Wentworth 1982)
< Open Oak Woodland (Wentworth 1982)
- 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.
- Medina, A. L. 1986. Riparian plant communities of the Fort Bayard watershed in southwestern New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 31(3):345-359.
- Stuever, M. C., and J. S. Hayden. 1997b. Plant associations of Arizona and New Mexico. Volume 2: Woodlands. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Habitat Typing Guides. 196 pp.
- USFS [U.S. Forest Service]. 1987b. Forest and woodland habitat types (plant associations) of Arizona south of the Mogollon Rim and southwestern New Mexico. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM. Second edition, 168 pp. plus insert.
- Wentworth, T. R. 1982. Vegetation and flora of the Mule Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 17:29-44.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.