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CEGL001056 Purshia tridentata - Ericameria nauseosa Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Antelope Bitterbrush - Rubber Rabbitbrush Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This plant association is described from data collected in St. Anthony Dunes area, Fremont County, Idaho, within the Snake River Basalts ecoregional section. The plant community occurs on partially stabilized sand, in a region of actively moving dunes. It is found extending from roughly 150-200 m (to the windward) from the active dune edge. At these sites wind-blown sand deposits have been stable for 50-60 years. Soils are deep, fine to medium-grained sand. Despite very low moisture levels during the dry season, soil moisture available to plants is apparently adequate, perhaps due to the low soil moisture tension of sand. The association is composed of a low to moderately tall-shrub layer and a sparse herbaceous understory. The shrub layer is dominated by the broad-leaved, deciduous Purshia tridentata (50-60% cover) and the semi-deciduous Ericameria nauseosa (5-15% cover), with Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus occasionally present. The rhizomatous perennial grass Elymus lanceolatus and the bunchgrass Hesperostipa comata compose the herbaceous stratum but are sparsely represented. A few perennial forbs are infrequently present, including Oxytheca dendroidea, Erysimum capitatum, and Phacelia hastata var. hastata. High litter cover (>60%) indicates the relative stability of the sand where this association is found. Few other herbaceous species are present.
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 plant association is composed of a low to moderately tall shrub layer and a sparse herbaceous understory. The shrub layer is dominated by the broad-leaved deciduous Purshia tridentata (50-60% cover) and the semi-deciduous Ericameria nauseosa (= Chrysothamnus nauseosus) (5-15% cover), with Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus occasionally present. The rhizomatous perennial grass Elymus lanceolatus ssp. lanceolatus and the bunchgrass Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata) compose the herbaceous stratum but are sparsely represented. A few perennial forbs are infrequently present, including Oxytheca dendroidea (= Eriogonum dendroideum), Erysimum capitatum, and Phacelia hastata var. hastata (= Phacelia leucophylla). High litter cover (>60%) indicates the relative stability of the sand where this association is found. Few other herbaceous species occur.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs in areas of stabilized sands, in a region of actively moving dune deposits, from 1525 to 1800 m (5000-5900 feet) elevation. It is found extending from roughly 100 m to over 2 km to windward from the active dunes. Sand deposits where it occurs have generally been stable for at least 40 years. Soils are deep sands, from roughly 0.5 m to over 3 m deep, left behind as the dunes advance. These soils are primarily fine to medium-sized sands, at all depths. Despite very low moisture levels during the dry season, the tension at which moisture is held by the sand is very low, meaning that some moisture is apparently always available to plants (Chadwick and Dalke 1965).
Geographic Range: The community type is known only from sand dune environments of the upper Snake River Plain. Sites are located in Fremont County, Idaho; within the Snake River Basalts ecoregional section.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687885
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 3 Desert & Semi-Desert Class | C03 | 3 |
| Subclass | 3.B Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Subclass | S11 | 3.B |
| Formation | 3.B.1 Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Formation | F033 | 3.B.1 |
| Division | 3.B.1.Ne Western North American Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Division | D040 | 3.B.1.Ne |
| Macrogroup | 3.B.1.Ne.3 Big Sagebrush - Threetip Sagebrush - Antelope Bitterbrush Steppe & Shrubland Macrogroup | M169 | 3.B.1.Ne.3 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a Wyoming Big Sagebrush - Basin Big Sagebrush Steppe & Shrubland Group | G303 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a |
| Alliance | A3198 Big Sagebrush - Mixed Shrub Dry Steppe & Shrubland Alliance | A3198 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a |
| Association | CEGL001056 Antelope Bitterbrush - Rubber Rabbitbrush Shrubland | CEGL001056 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Purshia - Chrysothamnus Community (Chadwick and Dalke 1965)
- 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.
- Chadwick, H. W., and P. D. Dalke. 1965. Plant succession on dune sands in Fremont County, Idaho. Ecology 46:765-780.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.