Print Report
CEGL001360 Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex gardneri Wet Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Greasewood / Gardner''s Saltbush Wet Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This "badlands" association is reported from eastern Utah and western Colorado, across Wyoming to Big Horn Basin and up to northeastern Montana. Stands occur on all aspects of moderately steep to steep eroded slopes or on toeslopes composed of clay or shale sediments. Substrates are fine-textured, alkaline and saline, have low permeability, and are composed of acidic shale, bentonite, or some other highly erodible material. Bare ground and gravel make up the majority (80%) of the ground surface. The vegetation is characterized by a sparse to moderately dense (20-40% cover) woody layer codominated by the short shrub Sarcobatus vermiculatus and the dwarf-shrub Atriplex gardneri. Other shrubs and dwarf-shrubs include scattered Artemisia tridentata, Picrothamnus desertorum, Atriplex confertifolia, Ericameria nauseosa, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Suaeda calceoliformis, Suaeda moquinii, and Tetradymia canescens. The graminoid layer, if present, is sparse and may include Poa secunda, Achnatherum hymenoides, Elymus elymoides, and the introduced annual Bromus tectorum. The forb layer is highly variable in cover and composition because much of it is annual, such as Endolepis dioica and Lappula squarrosa. Common perennial forbs include Iva axillaris, Machaeranthera canescens, and Allium textile.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type should be compared to ~Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Pseudoroegneria spicata Shrubland (CEGL001367)$$. The two types may be synonymous since they occupy the same badlands slope habitat.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation in this association is characterized by a sparse to moderately dense (less than 15 to 40% cover) woody layer codominated by the short shrub Sarcobatus vermiculatus and the dwarf-shrub Atriplex gardneri. Other shrubs and dwarf-shrubs include scattered Artemisia tridentata, Picrothamnus desertorum (= Artemisia spinescens), Atriplex confertifolia, Ericameria nauseosa, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Suaeda calceoliformis, Suaeda moquinii, and Tetradymia canescens. The graminoid layer, if present, is sparse and may include Poa secunda, Achnatherum hymenoides, Elymus elymoides, Pascopyrum smithii, and the introduced annual Bromus tectorum. The forb layer is highly variable in cover and composition because much of it is annual, such as Endolepis dioica (= Atriplex dioica, = Atriplex suckleyi), and Lappula squarrosa. Common perennial forbs include Iva axillaris, Machaeranthera canescens, and Allium textile. The exotic species Halogeton glomeratus may be abundant in disturbed stands.
Dynamics: Both Sarcobatus vermiculatus and Atriplex gardneri, like many facultative halophytes, are tolerant of highly alkaline and saline soil conditions that allow the species to occur in sites with less interspecific competition (Ungar et al. 1969, Bransen et al. 1976).
Environmental Description: This "badlands" association is reported from lower to middle elevations (1423-2074 m) in eastern Utah, northwestern Colorado, and across much of Wyoming to northeastern Montana. Stands occur on alluvial flats and gentle to steep (to 23°) eroded slopes or toeslopes and evaporational depressions eroded in clay or shale sediments. Substrates are fine-textured, alkaline and saline, have low permeability, and are derived from marine shale, bentonite, or other highly erodible material. Bare ground and gravel make up the majority (80% or more) of the ground surface, which may also have a white crust from the evaporation of saline soil water. The parent materials include Manco Shale and Wasatch Formation and other sandstones and shales that have eroded and deposited as alluvium.
Geographic Range: This shrubland association occurs on semi-arid shaly sites in western U.S. from western Colorado and eastern Utah across western Wyoming to Big Horn Basin in north-central Wyoming and northeastern Montana.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, MT, UT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686888
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4?
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.5 Salt Marsh Formation | F035 | 2.C.5 |
| Division | 2.C.5.Nd North American Western Interior Brackish Marsh, Playa & Shrubland Division | D036 | 2.C.5.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.5.Nd.1 Warm & Cool Desert Alkali-Saline Marsh, Playa & Shrubland Macrogroup | M082 | 2.C.5.Nd.1 |
| Group | 2.C.5.Nd.1.b Greasewood - Saltbush species Alkaline-Saline Wet Scrub Group | G537 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.b |
| Alliance | A1046 Greasewood Intermountain Wet Shrubland Alliance | A1046 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.b |
| Association | CEGL001360 Greasewood / Gardner''s Saltbush Wet Shrubland | CEGL001360 | 2.C.5.Nd.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex gardneri Shrubland (Von Loh 2000)
= Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex nuttallii community type (DeVelice et al. 1995)
= Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex nuttallii community type (DeVelice et al. 1991)
= Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex nuttallii community type (DeVelice and Lesica 1993)
= Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex nuttallii community type (DeVelice et al. 1995)
= Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex nuttallii community type (DeVelice et al. 1991)
= Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Atriplex nuttallii community type (DeVelice and Lesica 1993)
- 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.
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- DeVelice, R. L., and P. Lesica. 1993. Plant community classification for vegetation on BLM lands, Pryor Mountains, Carbon County, Montana. Unpublished report by Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 78 pp.
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- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Medicine Bow Mine Application. No date. Application No. 331-T1, on file at Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division, Cheyenne.
- Sweetwater Uranium Project. 1978. Application No. 481, on file at Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division, Cheyenne.
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- Von Loh, J. 2000. Draft local descriptions of the vegetation associations of Ouray National Wildlife Refuge. USGS Bureau of Reclamation, Remote Sensing and GIS Group, Denver Federal Center, Denver.
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