Print Report
CEGL001445 Atriplex gardneri / Pascopyrum smithii Dwarf-shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: This dry dwarf-shrub - mixedgrass type, dominated by Atriplex gardneri and mixedgrass prairie species, is found in eastern Wyoming and western South Dakota.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Gardner''s Saltbush / Western Wheatgrass Dwarf-shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This dry dwarf-shrub - mixedgrass type is found in eastern Wyoming and Montana and western South Dakota. Atriplex gardneri is the dominant dwarf-shrub. A variety of herbs are associated with the type, including Pascopyrum smithii. Plots in eastern Wyoming are found on upper slopes with clay soils, underlain by shale bedrock. Bare ground and gravel cover is 80-90%. This type is not well-characterized.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Although Atriplex gardneri occurs primarily in the Great Basin, it also occurs in dry settings in the Great Plains. This association was placed in A1110, with other Great Basin types, but it is better treated as a dry dwarf-shrubland type in the northwestern Great Plains, with mixed grass associates. Two plots in Jones (1998) may fit this type (Plot 306 and Plot 313, G.P. Jones pers. comm. 2017). In addition, Martin et al. (1998) describe several regions as containing Atriplex gardneri / Pascopyrum smithii types as small-patch types in a mixedgrass matrix of Hesperostipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, and Carex filifolia.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: No Data Available
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: No Data Available
Geographic Range: This type is found in eastern Wyoming and Montana and in western South Dakota.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, SD, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687652
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.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D023 | 2.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nb.2 Needle-and-Thread - Western Wheatgrass - Plains Rough Fescue Grassland Macrogroup | M051 | 2.B.2.Nb.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nb.2.b Needle-and-Thread - Blue Grama Dry Mixedgrass Prairie Group | G331 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.b |
| Alliance | A4381 None | A4381 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.b |
| Association | CEGL001445 Gardner''s Saltbush / Western Wheatgrass Dwarf-shrubland | CEGL001445 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Atriplex gardneri/Elymus smithii (Jones 1998c)
= Atriplex gardneri/Pascopyrum smithii (Martin et al. 1998)
= Atriplex gardneri/Pascopyrum smithii (Martin et al. 1998)
- 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.
- Jones, G. P. 1998c. Ecological evaluation of the potential Downs Research Natural Area within the Thunder Basin National Grassland, Converse County, Wyoming. Prepared for the Nebraska National Forest, USDA Forest Service by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. 36 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Martin, B., S. Cooper, B. Heidel, T. Hildebrand, G. Jones, D. Lenz, and P. Lesica. 1998. Natural community inventory within landscapes in the Northern Great Plains Steppe Ecoregion of the United States. A report to the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Northern Plains Regional Office. The Nature Conservancy, Helena, MT. 211 pp.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.