Print Report
CEGL001124 Ribes cereum / Leymus ambiguus Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Wax Currant / Rocky Mountain Wildrye Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association has been described from the eastern slopes of the northern Front Range in Colorado. Sites where this type is found are steep canyon walls and talus slopes of all aspects in the eastern foothills, from 1770 to 2200 m (5800-7220 feet) elevation. Slopes are near vertical (70-90% slope) and are composed primarily of massive to fragmented bedrock features or colluvium. Parent materials are residual to colluvial granite, gneiss or schist, which have developed into a very thin soil mantle. Soils are Entisols, with sandy loam to loamy sand textures, and thin A horizons over extremely rocky C horizons. This association is characterized by a variable number of woody species, but only the broad-leaved, deciduous shrub Ribes cereum exhibits a high degree of constancy and canopy cover (100% and 2-15%, respectively). Other woody species can include very scattered needle-leaved, evergreen trees, such as Juniperus scopulorum, Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii. Other shrubs occasionally present in small amounts include Ericameria nauseosa, Jamesia americana, Rhus trilobata, and Rubus deliciosus. Pseudotsuga menziesii occurs primarily on relatively mesic north-facing canyon walls, while Rhus trilobata is more abundant on steep talus slopes. The perennial bunchgrass Leymus ambiguus is the most abundant species in this association, having 12-18% cover. Only a small number of other herbaceous species are present, including Bouteloua gracilis and Achnatherum scribneri among the grasses, and Artemisia ludoviciana, Cryptantha virgata, Heterotheca villosa, Eriogonum umbellatum, and Phacelia heterophylla among the perennial forbs. Total herbaceous cover averages <25% and diversity is relatively low.
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: This association is characterized by a variable number of woody species, but only the broad-leaved deciduous shrub Ribes cereum exhibits a high degree of constancy and canopy cover (100% and 2-15%, respectively). Other woody species can include needle-leaved evergreen trees, such as Juniperus scopulorum, Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii. Other shrubs occasionally present in small amounts include Ericameria nauseosa (= Chrysothamnus nauseosus), Jamesia americana, Rhus trilobata, and Rubus deliciosus. Pseudotsuga menziesii occurs primarily on relatively mesic north-facing canyon walls, while Rhus trilobata is more abundant on steep talus slopes. The perennial bunchgrass Leymus ambiguus is the most abundant species in this association, having 12-18% cover. Only a small number of other herbaceous species are present, including Bouteloua gracilis and Achnatherum scribneri (= Stipa scribneri) among the grasses, and Artemisia ludoviciana, Cryptantha virgata, Heterotheca villosa, Eriogonum umbellatum, and Phacelia heterophylla among the perennial forbs. Total herbaceous cover averages <25% and diversity is relatively low.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This type occurs in a mountainous region subject to a continental climate regime, with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation patterns differ between the east and west sides of the Continental Divide, but the overall difference is warmer and drier winters on the east slope of the Front Range. Sites where found are steep canyon walls and talus slopes of all aspects in the eastern foothills, from 1770 to 2200 m (5800-7220 feet) elevation. Slopes are near vertical (70-90% slope) and are composed primarily of massive to fragmented bedrock features or colluvium. Parent materials are residual to colluvial granite, gneiss or schist, which have developed into a very thin soil mantle. Soils are Entisols, with sandy loam to loamy sand textures, and thin A horizons over extremely rocky C horizons.
Geographic Range: This association has been described from north-central Colorado, along the eastern slopes of the northern Front Range, in the Roosevelt National Forest. It has also been reported to occur on the City of Boulder Open Space lands, to the west of Boulder, Colorado (in foothills of the eastern slope of the Front Range).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686509
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nf Western North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D022 | 2.B.2.Nf |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nf.1 Gambel Oak - Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany - Bitterbrush species Southern Rocky Mountain Montane Shrubland Macrogroup | M049 | 2.B.2.Nf.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nf.1.b Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany - Wavyleaf Oak - Skunkbush Sumac Foothill Shrubland Group | G276 | 2.B.2.Nf.1.b |
| Alliance | A3731 Antelope Bitterbrush - Wax Currant Shrubland Alliance | A3731 | 2.B.2.Nf.1.b |
| Association | CEGL001124 Wax Currant / Rocky Mountain Wildrye Shrubland | CEGL001124 | 2.B.2.Nf.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Leymus ambiguus / Ribes cereum Habitat Type (Hess 1981)
- 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.
- Bunin, J. E. 1985. Vegetation of the City of Boulder, Colorado open space lands. Report prepared for the City of Boulder, Real Estate/Open Space, Boulder, CO. 114 pp.
- CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
- Hess, K. 1981. Phyto-edaphic study of habitat types of the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado. Unpublished dissertation, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 558 pp.
- Reid, M. S., L. S. Engelking, and P. S. Bourgeron. 1994. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, Western Region. Pages 305-620 in: D. H. Grossman, K. L. Goodin, and C. L. Reuss, editors. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, an initial survey. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.