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CEGL001429 Salix arctica - Salix petrophila / Caltha leptosepala Dwarf-shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Arctic Willow - Alpine Willow / White Marsh-marigold Dwarf-shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mesic alpine dwarf-shrubland is found at 2800 to 3050 m (9200-10,000 feet) elevation in ranges of the Intermountain Basin of northern Nevada and in the Rocky Mountains of western Wyoming. Sites are on gentle, northerly slopes. It is found on mesic sites and is one of the wettest associations in ~Salix arctica - Salix nivalis - Salix reticulata Alpine Dwarf-shrubland Alliance (A3176)$$. The dwarf-shrub is creeping along the ground and is rarely taller than 12.7-20.3 cm (5-8 inches), forming the dwarf-shrub layer. Snowmelt keeps the site wet to saturated for much of the growing season. The vegetation is characterized by the dominance of the dwarf-shrub Salix arctica or Salix petrophila, sometimes with Salix reticulata and with Caltha leptosepala as a dominant forb. Other common species include Antennaria spp., Astragalus alpinus, Carex elynoides, Erigeron peregrinus, Gentiana calycosa, Festuca brachyphylla, Packera dimorphophylla, Pedicularis groenlandica, Polygonum bistortoides, Ranunculus eschscholtzii, Sibbaldia procumbens, and Senecio crassulus.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association includes stands dominated by Salix arctica or Salix petrophila (= Salix arctica ssp. petraea). Kartesz (1999) recognizes both as distinct species, but it seems imprudent at this time to separate the only two known locations into separate associations. It is very similar to ~Salix reticulata / Caltha leptosepala Dwarf-shrubland (CEGL001435)$$ in environment and in species composition (it lists both Salix reticulata and Salix arctica as characteristically present) and may warrant combining these two concepts into one.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Dwarf-shrubs, rarely taller than 12.7-20.3 cm (5-8 inches), creep along the ground and form the dwarf shrub-layer. The vegetation is characterized by the dominance of the dwarf-shrub Salix arctica or Salix petrophila (= Salix arctica ssp. petraea), sometimes with Salix reticulata. The herbaceous layer is patchy, and species generally have low cover, although there is no question Caltha leptosepala is the dominant and characteristic forb. Grasses occur, but are low in cover, and include Festuca brachyphylla, Poa spp., Carex elynoides, other Carex species, and Trisetum spicatum. Other forbs present may include Astragalus alpinus, Erigeron peregrinus, Pedicularis groenlandica, Polygonum bistortoides, Sibbaldia procumbens, Ranunculus eschscholtzii, Packera dimorphophylla, Gentiana calycosa, Pedicularis spp., Erigeron spp., Senecio crassulus, Antennaria spp., and Polygonum viviparum.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This mesic alpine dwarf-shrubland is found at 2800 to 3050 m (9200-10,000 feet) elevation in ranges of the Intermountain Basin of northern Nevada and in the Rocky Mountains of western Wyoming. Sites are on gentle, northerly slopes. It is found on mesic sites and is one of the wettest associations in ~Salix arctica - Salix nivalis - Salix reticulata Alpine Dwarf-shrubland Alliance (A3176)$$. The soil textures of the stands include very stony, well-drained silty clay loams and sandy clay loams. Rocks greater than 10 cm form a large component of the nonvegetated ground surface with adjacent talus slopes of stones, cobbles, and boulders. Snowmelt keeps the site wet to saturated for much of the growing season.
Geographic Range: This alpine dwarf-shrubland occurs in the Ruby Mountains in northeastern Nevada and in Grand Teton National Park in western Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NV, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687583
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 4 Polar & High Montane Scrub, Grassland & Barrens Class | C04 | 4 |
| Subclass | 4.B Temperate to Polar Alpine & Tundra Vegetation Subclass | S12 | 4.B |
| Formation | 4.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Alpine Tundra Formation | F037 | 4.B.1 |
| Division | 4.B.1.Nb Western North American Alpine Tundra Division | D043 | 4.B.1.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Nb.2 Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Blackroot Sedge - Moss Campion Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M099 | 4.B.1.Nb.2 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Mountain-heath species - Arctic Willow Alpine Dwarf-shrubland & Krummholz Group | G316 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Alliance | A3176 Arctic Willow - Snow Willow - Netleaf Willow Alpine Dwarf-shrubland Alliance | A3176 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Association | CEGL001429 Arctic Willow - Alpine Willow / White Marsh-marigold Dwarf-shrubland | CEGL001429 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Mesic alpine turf community (Loope 1969)
- 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.
- Cogan, D., K. Varga, and G. Kittel. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Final Project Report 2002-2005 Vegetation Mapping Project. Technical Memorandum 8260-06-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 87 pp. plus Appendixes A-F.
- Kartesz, J. T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC.
- Loope, L. L. 1969. Subalpine and alpine vegetation of northeastern Nevada. Unpublished thesis, Duke University, Durham, NC.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.