Print Report
CEGL001430 Salix arctica / Geum rossii Dwarf-shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Arctic Willow / Ross'' Avens Dwarf-shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mid-alpine dwarf-shrubland occurs in patches on rocky lee slopes, in depressions and on lakeshores between 3500 and 3800 m (11,100-12,500 feet) elevation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Slopes are concave or moderate to somewhat steep, and stands generally occur on sites where snow collects and persists through at least some of the growing season. Rocks and gravel cover most of the unvegetated ground surface. The vegetation is characterized by mats of Salix arctica accompanied by patches of Geum rossii, although other herbaceous species may be codominant. The herbaceous associates are diverse and may include Paronychia pulvinata, Salix nivalis, Salix planifolia, and Salix brachycarpa in a short-shrub layer, and Polygonum viviparum, Sibbaldia procumbens, Silene acaulis, Carex scopulorum, Caltha leptosepala, Luzula spicata, Deschampsia cespitosa, and Castilleja occidentalis as common herbaceous species. Mosses and lichens often have significant cover as well, and stands may contain individual dwarfed Picea engelmannii.
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 prostrate willow community is characteristic of low to mid-alpine slopes where snow cover lasts until late June or early July and the soils remain moist throughout the growing season. Mats of Salix arctica accompanied by patches of Geum rossii are characteristic of the community, although other herbaceous species may be codominant with the Geum. The mesic habitat supports a diverse community that contains many mesic and hygrophilic species such as Paronychia pulvinata, Salix nivalis, Salix planifolia, and Salix brachycarpa in a short-shrub layer, and Polygonum viviparum (= Bistorta vivipara), Sibbaldia procumbens, Silene acaulis, Carex scopulorum, Caltha leptosepala, Luzula spicata, Deschampsia cespitosa, and Castilleja occidentalis as common herbaceous species. Mosses and lichens often have significant cover as well, and stands may contain individual dwarfed Picea engelmannii.
Dynamics: The presence of late-melting snow patches and a rocky substrate seem to control the distribution of this association. Kiener (1967) describes this association as a late-seral community of snowpatch sites; early-seral communities in the same habitat are dominated by Carex pyrenaica.
Environmental Description: This mid-alpine dwarf-shrubland occurs in patches on rocky lee slopes, depressions and lakeshores between 3500 and 3800 m (11,100-12,500 feet) elevation in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Slopes are concave or moderate to somewhat steep (10-49%), and stands are generally on sites where snow collects and persists through at least some of the growing season. Rocks and gravel cover most of the unvegetated ground surface, and the soil is either sandy loam or loam. Soil moisture is variable, between somewhat poorly drained to well-drained.
Geographic Range: This alpine association occurs in the southern Rocky Mountains and possibly occurs elsewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687584
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4
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 | CEGL001430 Arctic Willow / Ross'' Avens Dwarf-shrubland | CEGL001430 | 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: = Artemisietum arcticae saxicolae Association (Willard 1979)
= Artemisietum arcticae saxicolae Association (Willard 1963)
= Salix arctica / Acomastylis rossii Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Salix arctica / Geum rossii Habitat Type (Hess and Wasser 1982)
= Association Artemisietum arcticae (Kiener 1967) (Komarkova 1979)
= Association: Artemisietum arcticae (Kiener 1967) (Komarkova 1976)
= Association: Artemisietum arcticae (Kiener 1967) (Kiener 1967)
= Artemisietum arcticae saxicolae Association (Willard 1963)
= Salix arctica / Acomastylis rossii Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Salix arctica / Geum rossii Habitat Type (Hess and Wasser 1982)
= Association Artemisietum arcticae (Kiener 1967) (Komarkova 1979)
= Association: Artemisietum arcticae (Kiener 1967) (Komarkova 1976)
= Association: Artemisietum arcticae (Kiener 1967) (Kiener 1967)
- 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.
- 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/]
- Cox, C. F. 1933. Alpine plant succession on James Peak, Colorado. Ecological Monographs 3:299-372.
- Curry, R. R. 1962. Geobotanical correlations in the alpine and subalpine regions of the Tenmile Range, Summit County, Colorado. Unpublished thesis, University of Colorado, Boulder. 133 pp.
- Hess, K., and C. H. Wasser. 1982. Grassland, shrubland, and forest habitat types of the White River-Arapaho National Forest. Unpublished final report 53-82 FT-1-19. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 335 pp.
- Johnson, K. L. 1970a. Alpine vegetation and soils of Mesa Seco Plateau, San Juan Mountains, Colorado. Unpublished dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana. 217 pp.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Kiener, W. 1939. Sociological studies of the alpine vegetation on Long''s Peak. Unpublished dissertation, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
- Kiener, W. 1967. Sociological studies of the alpine vegetation on Longs Peak. University of Nebraska Studies: New Series 34. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.
- Komarkova, V. 1976. Alpine vegetation of the Indian Peaks Area, Front Range, Colorado Rocky Mountains. Unpublished dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder. 655 pp.
- Komarkova, V. 1979. Alpine vegetation of the Indian Peaks area, Front Range, Colorado Rocky Mountains. Flora et vegetatio mundi 7, R. Tuxen, editor, 2 volumes, Vaduz: J. Cramer. 591 pp.
- Marr, J. W., and B. E. Willard. 1970. Persisting vegetation in an alpine recreation area in the southern Rocky Mountains Colorado. Biological Conservation 2:97-104.
- Salas, D., J. Stevens, and K. Schulz. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Technical Memorandum No. 8260-05-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 161 pp. plus Appendices A-L (733 pp.).
- Spencer, J. P. 1975. The effects of winter weather modification on alpine plant communities in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado. Unpublished thesis, University of Colorado, Boulder. 122 pp.
- Webber, P. J., J. C. Emerick, D. May, and V. Komarkova. 1976. The impact of increased snowfall on alpine vegetation. Pages 201-264 in: H. Steinhoff and J. Ives, editors. Ecological impacts of snowpack augmentation in the San Juan Mountains. Report of the San Juan Ecology Project, Fort Collins, to USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Division of Atmosphere and Water Resource Management, Denver, CO.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Whitfield, C. J. 1933. The vegetation of the Pike''s Peak region. Ecological Monographs 3:75-105.
- Willard, B. E. 1963. Phytosociology of the alpine tundra of Trail Ridge, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Unpublished dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder.
- Willard, B. E. 1979. Plant sociology of alpine tundra, Trail Ridge, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Colorado School of Mines Quarterly 74(4):1-119.