Print Report
CEGL001589 Aristida purpurea var. longiseta - Pseudoroegneria spicata - Sporobolus cryptandrus Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Red Three-awn - Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Sand Dropseed Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These are grasslands found on canyon slopes or on sandy benches in Hells Canyon. Sites are typically located on terraces, alluvial fans, and benchlands in lower canyons. Elevations range between 370 and 760 m (1200-2500 feet) on all aspects with slopes less than 30%. Soils are silt loams, loams, silty clay loams, and clay over loess and colluvium-alluvium parent material. Grasses dominate with cover values: Aristida purpurea var. longiseta (<70%), Pseudoroegneria spicata (<55%), Sporobolus cryptandrus (<55%). Associated forbs usually include Achillea millefolium (<10%), Erigeron pumilus (<10%), and Plantago patagonica (<10%).
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Johnson and Simon (1987) suggest this is a heavily grazed association which otherwise would be ~Pseudoroegneria spicata - Poa secunda Grassland (CEGL001677)$$. Most sites where it is recorded are heavily grazed, with significant coverage of non-native grasses (Bromus tectorum). While the cover of Pseudoroegneria would likely be higher if there were any reference stands; the type appears to be very different from the loess grasslands described by Daubenmire (1970).
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: Known only from Hells Canyon in Oregon and Washington.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688382
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.1 Yellow Rabbitbrush - Blackbrush / Indian Ricegrass Dry Shrubland & Grassland Macrogroup | M171 | 3.B.1.Ne.1 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c James'' Galleta - Indian Ricegrass - Needle-and-Thread Semi-Desert Grassland Group | G311 | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c |
| Alliance | A3976 Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Plains Prickly-pear Dry Canyon Slope Grassland Alliance | A3976 | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c |
| Association | CEGL001589 Red Three-awn - Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Sand Dropseed Grassland | CEGL001589 | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- 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.
- Daubenmire, R. F. 1970. Steppe vegetation of Washington. Washington State University Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 62. 131 pp.
- Johnson, C. G., Jr., and S. A. Simon. 1987. Plant associations of the Wallowa-Snake Province Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Technical Paper R6-ECOL-TP-255A-86. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. 399 pp. plus appendices.
- Johnson, C. G., and S. A. Simon. 1985. Plant associations of the Wallowa Valley Ranger District, Part II: Steppe. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. 258 pp.
- Kagan, J. S., J. A. Christy, M. P. Murray, and J. A. Titus. 2004. Classification of native vegetation of Oregon. January 2004. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Portland. 52 pp.
- 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.