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CEGL003107 Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea / Leymus condensatus - Annual Grass-Herb Wet Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Blue Elderberry / Giant Wildrye - Annual Grass-Herb Wet Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: In the Santa Monica Mountains, California, this shrubland association occurs on gentle to steep northeast- and northwest-facing slopes at low elevations between 0 and 511 m. It is characterized by dominance in the shrub layer or the low-tree layer of Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea and relatively high cover of the grass Leymus condensatus in the herbaceous layer. The emergent tree layer includes Quercus agrifolia and Juglans californica.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Scattered stands of Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea occur throughout much of cismontane California but have not been well-sampled. Contradictory to the formal hierarchy, many stands are not intermittently flooded, at least not in the urban portions of Santa Monica Mountains study area.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands of this vegetation type are dominated by the broad-leaved deciduous shrub Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea (= Sambucus mexicana), which as a layer is up to 8 m in height. Canopy cover of this layer may be continuous to open. Several other broad-leaved deciduous shrubs may be present, including Fraxinus latifolia, Salix exigua, Toxicodendron diversilobum, and the liana Vitis californica. The broad-leaved deciduous trees Populus fremontii and Quercus lobata may also be present as emergents over the shrub canopy, but are not abundant. The herbaceous layer is typically dominated by graminoids, but no information on species composition or abundance is available. The herbaceous understories of most stands are usually composed of introduced annual grasses and forbs, such as Bromus diandrus, Bromus hordeaceus, Centaurea solstitialis, and Marrubium vulgare.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands belonging to the Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea alliance are found on floodplains of low-gradient, depositional streams and rivers, usually below 300 m elevation. Sites are typically some distance from the active channel, but are still subject to flooding, probably annually. Soils are seasonally saturated, deep, rich, and fine-textured, derived from flood-deposited silts and alluvium.
Geographic Range: This association is only known from the Santa Monica Mountains region. Information about its global distribution is not available without additional inventory. Similar, though probably not identical, stands occur in the California Coast Ranges as far north as Marin County (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003) and south to San Diego County (Evens and San 2005). Holland (1986) describes an elderberry savanna from the Central Valley.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686991
Confidence Level: Low
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.Nc Southwestern North American Warm Desert Freshwater Marsh & Bosque Division | D032 | 2.C.4.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nc.1 Warm Desert Lowland Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M076 | 2.C.4.Nc.1 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nc.1.b Honey Mesquite - Velvet Mesquite - False Willow species North American Warm Desert Riparian Low Bosque & Shrubland Group | G533 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.b |
| Alliance | A3875 Common Buttonbush - California Wild Rose Wet Shrubland Alliance | A3875 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.b |
| Association | CEGL003107 Blue Elderberry / Giant Wildrye - Annual Grass-Herb Wet Shrubland | CEGL003107 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Sambucus mexicana / Leymus condensatus - Annual Grass - Herb Shrubland (Evens and San 2006)
- CNDDB [California Natural Diversity Data Base]. No date. Unpublished data files. California Natural Diversity Data Base, California Natural Heritage Division, Sacramento.
- Evens, J., and S. San. 2006. Vegetation alliances of the San Dieguito River Park region, San Diego County, California. Final report (August 2005) Version 2 (revised May 2006). Prepared by California Native Plant Society in cooperation with the California Natural Heritage Program of the California Department of Fish and Game and San Diego Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Sacramento, CA. 271 pp.
- Holland, R. F. 1986b. Preliminary descriptions of the terrestrial natural communities of California. Unpublished report prepared for the California Department of Fish and Game, Nongame-Heritage Program and Natural Diversity Database, Sacramento. 156 pp.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., M. Schindel, S. San, P. Moore, and D. Hickson. 2003a. Classification of the vegetation of Yosemite National Park and surrounding environs in Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera and Mono counties, California. Unpublished report by NatureServe in cooperation with the California Native Plant Society and California Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch, Sacramento, CA.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., and J. Evens. 2006. Vegetation classification of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and environs in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, California. A report submitted to National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area by California Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch and The California Native Plant Society, Vegetation Program, Sacramento, CA.
- Sawyer, J. O., and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995. A manual of California vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 471 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.