Print Report
CEGL001783 Danthonia unispicata - Poa secunda Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Few-flower Wild Oatgrass - Sandberg Bluegrass Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This grassland association occurs in scablands of the Snake River plain in northeastern Oregon and likely occurs in Washington. It has also been reported from Wyoming, but information is not available. Stands are found on dry, level to undulating plateau and ridgetops at elevations of 1130-1830 m. This association is restricted to less xeric sites, such as slightly concave or seep areas where there is supplementary soil moisture. Vernal pools are not uncommon in this type. Soils are shallow (7-25 cm), rocky (40-60% coarse fraction) loams that are derived from basalt and loess. These soils are underlain by non-fractured basalt bedrock. The soil surface is stabilized by high cover of rock and moss. During the winter, these soils are often saturated. Disturbance from frost boils is common. The bedrock in not fractured and therefore cannot support deeper-rooted bunchgrasses such as Pseudoroegneria spicata and Festuca idahoensis, or shrubs. This association has a sparse to moderately dense herbaceous layer codominated by the perennial graminoids Poa secunda and Danthonia unispicata. The Danthonia unispicata often occurs in patches where soil moisture accumulates. Common forbs may include Antennaria spp., Balsamorhiza incana, Sedum spp., Lomatium spp., Erigeron chrysopsidis, Polygonum spp., and Trifolium macrocephalum. Stands may form a mosaic with drier sites dominated by Poa secunda without Danthonia unispicata, and areas with fractured bedrock with an open canopy of the dwarf-shrub Artemisia rigida.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is reported to occur in Wyoming, but none of the cited references support it. Further investigation is needed to clarify the range of this association.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association has a sparse to moderately dense herbaceous layer codominated by the perennial graminoids Poa secunda and Danthonia unispicata. The Danthonia unispicata often occurs in patches where soil moisture accumulates. Common forbs may include Antennaria spp., Balsamorhiza incana, Sedum spp., Lomatium spp., Erigeron chrysopsidis, Polygonum spp., and Trifolium macrocephalum. Stands may form a mosaic with drier sites dominated by Poa secunda without Danthonia unispicata, and areas with fractured bedrock with an open canopy of the dwarf-shrub Artemisia rigida.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands are found on dry, level to undulating plateau and ridgetops at elevations of 1130-1830 m. This association is restricted to less xeric sites, such as slightly concave or seep areas where there is supplementary soil moisture. Vernal pools are not uncommon in this type. Soils are shallow (7-25 cm), rocky (40-60% coarse fraction) loams that are derived from basalt and loess. These soils are underlain by non-fractured basalt bedrock. The soil surface is stabilized by high cover of rock and moss. During the winter, these soils are often saturated. Disturbance from frost boils is common. The bedrock in not fractured and therefore cannot support deeper-rooted bunchgrasses such as Pseudoroegneria spicata and Festuca idahoensis, or shrubs.
Geographic Range: This association occurs as a patch community in scablands of the Snake River plain in northeastern Oregon and likely also occurs in Washington. This type has also been reported from Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: OR, WA?, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686576
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.b Sedge species - Reedgrass species Montane Wet Meadow & Marsh Group | G521 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
| Alliance | A3814 Oatgrass species - Camas species Wet Meadow Alliance | A3814 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
| Association | CEGL001783 Few-flower Wild Oatgrass - Sandberg Bluegrass Wet Meadow | CEGL001783 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- 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.
- Ganskopp, D. C. 1979. Plant communities and habitat types of the Meadow Creek Experimental Watershed. Unpublished thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 162 pp.
- Hall, F. C. 1973. Plant communities of the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. R6 Area Guide 3-1. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 62 pp.
- Johnson, C. G., Jr., and S. A. Simon. 1987. Plant associations of the Wallowa-Snake Province Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Technical Paper R6-ECOL-TP-255A-86. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. 399 pp. plus appendices.
- Kagan, J. S., J. A. Christy, M. P. Murray, and J. A. Titus. 2004. Classification of native vegetation of Oregon. January 2004. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Portland. 52 pp.
- WNHP [Washington Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data files. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.