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CEGL001539 Artemisia tripartita ssp. tripartita / Hesperostipa comata Shrub Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Threetip Sagebrush / Needle-and-Thread Shrub Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is known from the Columbia Basin and Okanogan Valley in Washington, southeastern Idaho, and western Wyoming. It may also occur in British Columbia, Canada. Sandy to gravelly soils or low-fertility soils (old, weathered volcanic ash) are associated with this type. This is an open to closed bunchgrass community punctuated by low shrubs. Artemisia tripartita, typically less than 0.6 m (2 feet) tall, creates the open shrub layer that typically contributes 10-30% to total plant cover. Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Purshia tridentata, and Ericameria spp. can be present or codominant, especially on disturbed sites. The general appearance of the community is a bunchgrass community with Hesperostipa comata dominating the midgrass layer. Some stands have a short bunchgrass layer of Poa secunda. Broad-leaved herbs typically contribute little to the composition of individual sites, although a wide variety of species can grow in these communities. Frequently observed forbs are Lupinus leucophyllus, Calochortus macrocarpus, Astragalus bisulcatus, and Erigeron pumilus. Annual grasses and forbs are common and can be diverse. Disturbed sites will have Bromus tectorum and Vulpia bromoides, among many other exotic species. A diverse ground moss and lichen layer can cover much of the space between vascular plants, although it is displaced with ground disturbance. Climatically, this community occurs on cooler and more moist sites than sites of ~Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Hesperostipa comata Shrubland (CEGL001051)$$.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: As with all the Artemisia tripartita types, Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis and Ericameria spp. increase with disturbance. A large complete database across their range may separate out an Artemisia tripartita - Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis - Ericameria spp. association or associations. These are currently considered as variations in the condition rank.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This is a bunchgrass-dominated association, with Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata) in a taller grass layer up to 0.5 m in height, and with 20% to over 70% cover. A shorter grass layer is dominated by Poa secunda, with 10-40% cover. The half-meter-tall shrub layer is discontinuous, with scattered clumps of the evergreen Artemisia tripartita, averaging 5-15% cover. Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Purshia tridentata, and Ericameria spp. (= Chrysothamnus spp.) can be present or codominant, especially on disturbed sites. Forbs are infrequent and their total cover is less than 3%. Constant perennial forbs include Calochortus macrocarpus, Erigeron pumilus, Lithophragma glabrum, Astragalus bisulcatus, and Lupinus leucophyllus, and the annual forb Microsteris gracilis. Species richness is relatively low, with an average of 13 species. High-quality, little-disturbed sites have a well-developed cryptogamic layer. Stands of this association have a small, but constant, component of introduced annual species, such as Bromus tectorum and Draba verna.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs at moderate elevations, generally below 3000 feet, on sites more favorable, moister or at slightly higher elevations than those dominated by Artemisia tridentata. It is recognized as an edaphic climax association by Daubenmire (1970). It occurs on deep gravel or sandy infertile soils in areas too cool and wet for Artemisia tridentata. Moisture-holding capacity in these soils is low. In some locations soils may be derived from strongly weathered volcanic ash, with such low fertility as to allow Hesperostipa comata to dominate.
Geographic Range: This type is a minor component of the sagebrush landscape in Washington found in Douglas, Lincoln, Spokane, Okanogan, and eastern Chelan, Kittitas, and Yakima counties. One stand has been documented in Grand Teton National Park. It may appear in adjacent British Columbia and in southern Idaho.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: BC?, ID, OR, WA, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688397
Confidence Level: Low
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.b Basin Big Sagebrush - Threetip Sagebrush - Antelope Bitterbrush Big Sagebrush Steppe & Shrubland Group | G302 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.b |
| Alliance | A1528 Threetip Sagebrush - Big Sagebrush Mesic Steppe & Shrubland Alliance | A1528 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.b |
| Association | CEGL001539 Threetip Sagebrush / Needle-and-Thread Shrub Grassland | CEGL001539 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Artemisia tripartita / Agropyron spicatum Habitat Type (McLean 1969)
= Artemisia tripartita / Agropyron spicatum Habitat Type (Daubenmire 1970)
>< Artemisia tripartita / Agropyron spicatum Habitat Type (McLean 1970)
= Threetip Sagebrush / Needle and Thread Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation (Artemisia tripartita ssp. tripartita / Hesperostipa comata Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation) (Bell et al. 2009)
= Artemisia tripartita / Agropyron spicatum Habitat Type (Daubenmire 1970)
>< Artemisia tripartita / Agropyron spicatum Habitat Type (McLean 1970)
= Threetip Sagebrush / Needle and Thread Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation (Artemisia tripartita ssp. tripartita / Hesperostipa comata Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation) (Bell et al. 2009)
- Bell, J., D. Cogan, J. Erixson, and J. Von Loh. 2009. Vegetation inventory project report, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/UCBN/NRTR-2009/277. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 358 pp.
- 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.
- Cogan, D., K. Varga, and G. Kittel. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Final Project Report 2002-2005 Vegetation Mapping Project. Technical Memorandum 8260-06-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 87 pp. plus Appendixes A-F.
- Daubenmire, R. F. 1970. Steppe vegetation of Washington. Washington State University Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 62. 131 pp.
- Hironaka, M., M. A. Fosberg, and A. H. Winward. 1983. Sagebrush-grass habitat types of southern Idaho. Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Experiment Station Bulletin No. 15, University of Idaho, Moscow. 44 pp.
- McLean, A. 1969. Plant communities of the Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, and their relationships to soils. Ph.D. thesis, Washington State University, Pullman. University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI. 133 pp.
- McLean, A. 1970. Plant communities of the Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, and their relationships to soils. Ecological Monographs 40(4):403-424.
- Reid, M. S., L. S. Engelking, and P. S. Bourgeron. 1994. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, Western Region. Pages 305-620 in: D. H. Grossman, K. L. Goodin, and C. L. Reuss, editors. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, an initial survey. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- 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.