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CEGL001540 Artemisia tripartita ssp. rupicola / Festuca idahoensis Shrub Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Wyoming Threetip Sagebrush / Idaho Fescue Shrub Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This type has been described from the eastern side of the Wind River Mountains in west-central Wyoming, the Shirley Mountains in central Wyoming, and the Laramie Mountains in southeastern Wyoming. Stands occur on windswept gentle slopes and broad ridgetops, with coarse-textured soils. The vegetation contains a graminoid component and a dwarf-shrub component, with smaller amounts of forbs and, sometimes, taller shrubs. The most common graminoids are Festuca idahoensis (which may dominate or be a secondary species), Pseudoroegneria spicata (which often contributes the most cover), Leucopoa kingii, and Poa spp. (Poa fendleriana, Poa cusickii, Poa secunda). Artemisia tripartita ssp. rupicola is the dominant dwarf-shrub, and Ericameria nauseosa often is present. Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana or Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis may also be present in smaller amounts. Common forbs are Antennaria microphylla, Phlox hoodii, Artemisia frigida, and Cerastium arvense.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Information on this type is of uneven quality. The best descriptions are for stands from the Wind River Mountains, while information on stands in central and southeastern Wyoming is sketchy. This is the only USNVC association described with the subspecies Artemisia tripartita ssp. rupicola as the dominant/diagnostic species. However, there are four other Artemisia tripartita associations in the USNVC.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation contains a graminoid component and a dwarf-shrub component, with smaller amounts of forbs and, sometimes, taller shrubs. The most common graminoids are Festuca idahoensis (which may dominate or be a secondary species), Pseudoroegneria spicata (which often contributes the most cover), Leucopoa kingii, and Poa spp. (Poa fendleriana, Poa cusickii, Poa secunda). Artemisia tripartita ssp. rupicola is the dominant dwarf-shrub, and Ericameria nauseosa often is present. Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana or Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis may also be present in smaller amounts. Common forbs are Antennaria microphylla, Phlox hoodii, Artemisia frigida, and Cerastium arvense.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands occur on windswept gentle slopes and broad ridgetops, with coarse-textured soils.
Geographic Range: Artemisia tripartita ssp. rupicola is restricted to Wyoming, where it occurs on mountains in the central and southeastern parts of the state.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688396
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.2 Little Sagebrush - Black Sagebrush - Scabland Sagebrush Steppe & Shrubland Macrogroup | M170 | 3.B.1.Ne.2 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.2.b Little Sagebrush - Bigelow''s Sagebrush - Black Sagebrush Steppe & Shrubland Group | G308 | 3.B.1.Ne.2.b |
| Alliance | A4122 Thermopola Little Sagebrush - Owyhee Sage / Idaho Fescue Steppe & Shrubland Alliance | A4122 | 3.B.1.Ne.2.b |
| Association | CEGL001540 Wyoming Threetip Sagebrush / Idaho Fescue Shrub Grassland | CEGL001540 | 3.B.1.Ne.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Artemisia tripartita / Festuca idahoensis Community (Jones 1992b)
= Artemisia tripartita / Festuca idahoensis Habitat Type (Tweit and Houston 1980)
< Artemisia tripartita Community (Fisser 1962)
= Artemisia tripartita / Festuca idahoensis Habitat Type (Tweit and Houston 1980)
< Artemisia tripartita Community (Fisser 1962)
- 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.
- Fertig, W., and G. Jones. 1997. Plant species of special concern and plant associations of the Shirley Mountains ecosystem. Report prepared for Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie WY. 77 pp.
- Fisser, H. G. 1962. An ecological study of the Artemisia tripartita subsp. rupicola and related shrub communities in Wyoming. Unpublished dissertation, University of Wyoming, Laramie.
- Jones, G. 1992b. Wyoming plant community classification (Draft). Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 183 pp.
- Tweit, S., and K. Houston. 1980. Grassland and shrubland habitat types of the Shoshone National Forest. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Shoshone National Forest.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.