Environmental Description:  The region where this association occurs is to the east of a major mountain mass which strongly affects the climate of the region. The high mountains to the west create a rainshadow effect, allowing only occasional incursions of moisture-laden winter storms from the Pacific. Average annual precipitation is low, ranging from 17.8 cm (7 inches) in the valleys, such as along the Salmon River, to roughly 114 cm (45 inches) at the highest elevations. There is a peak during May and June, when convective showers are common, but winters are relatively dry. Summers are cool, and winters cold. The region is mountainous with high, massive ranges, dissected by deep valleys. The bedrock is a heterogeneous formation of volcanic and sedimentary rock, with only minor amounts of granitics, known as Challis Volcanics. At lower elevations along the Salmon River the most common rock types of this formation are tuffs and andesites. A flora endemic to this region occurs on these substrates and is joined by a flora of species disjunct from drier regions of the Great Basin. This plant association occurs on quartzite cliffs around Germer Peak, at elevations from 2075 to 2320 m (6800-7600 feet). No other information is available, but it can be assumed that slopes are steep, and sites are rocky. Soils are probably poorly developed, shallow, and coarse-textured (loamy sands to sandy loams).