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CEGL001891 Dryas octopetala Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eight-petal Mountain-avens Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is an alpine vegetation type found in the northern Cascade Range of Washington and possibly in the high mountains of Idaho. Sites occupied by this association range from 2100-2450 m elevation on gentle to moderate slopes with all aspects, on well-drained, poorly developed soils derived from a variety of parent materials. These alpine sites are relatively dry as snowmelt occurs earlier in the spring than most other communities (early to late May). The vegetation consists of an open to moderately dense dwarf-shrub layer dominated by Dryas octopetala. Associated herbaceous species are Festuca brachyphylla, Lupinus lepidus, Minuartia obtusiloba, and diverse species of lichen (though of low importance). Carex spp. and Polygonum viviparum are absent or have low importance.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is only described from the northern Cascade Range and possibly in the mountains of Idaho. More survey and classification work are needed to fully characterize its range, composition, and relationship to the other Dryas octopetala associations. While Dryas octopetala communities certainly occur in Idaho, whether they belong to this association or one of the others is unclear. Two associations have been described that represent Dryas octopetala communities in the Rocky Mountain cordillera, ~Dryas octopetala Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow (CEGL001891)$$ representing vegetation on dry sites, and ~Dryas octopetala - Polygonum viviparum Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow (CEGL001894)$$ representing stands on mesic sites. Those two associations are well described for Montana by Cooper et al. (1997). The relationship between these associations and another from the National Vegetation Classification, ~Dryas octopetala - Carex spp. Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow (CEGL001893)$$, is unclear because this latter type has not been described.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation consists of an open to moderately dense dwarf-shrub layer dominated by Dryas octopetala. Associated herbaceous species are Festuca brachyphylla, Lupinus lepidus, Minuartia obtusiloba (= Arenaria obtusiloba), and diverse species of lichen (though of low importance). Carex spp. and Polygonum viviparum are absent or have low importance.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Sites occupied by this association range from 2100-2450 m elevation on gentle to moderate slopes with all aspects, on well-drained, poorly developed soils derived from a variety of parent materials. These alpine sites are relatively dry as snowmelt occurs earlier in the spring than most other communities (early to late May).
Geographic Range: This alpine vegetation type is found in the northern Cascade Range of Washington but may have a wider distribution.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID?, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688295
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
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 | A3178 Entireleaf Mountain-avens - Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Kinnikinnick Rocky Mountain Fell-field Dwarf-shrubland Alliance | A3178 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Association | CEGL001891 Eight-petal Mountain-avens Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow | CEGL001891 | 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: = Dryas octopetala Community (Douglas and Bliss 1977)
- 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.
- Cooper, S. V., P. Lesica, and D. Page-Dumroese. 1997. Plant community classification for alpine vegetation on Beaverhead National Forest, Montana. Report INT-GTR-362. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 61 pp.
- Douglas, G. W., and L. C. Bliss. 1977. Alpine and high subalpine plant communities of the North Cascades Range, Washington and British Columbia. Ecological Monographs 47:113-150.
- WNHP [Washington Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data files. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.