Print Report
CEGL001092 Cercocarpus montanus / Hesperostipa comata Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany / Needle-and-Thread Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: Stands of this association have been described from the eastern flank of the foothills of the northern Front Range in north-central Colorado from Douglas to Larimer counties. This association is found from 1750-2270 m (5700-7440 feet) elevation, on topographic features including hogbacks, ridges, mesas, canyons and slopes. Slopes vary from moderate to steep (up to 60%), and aspects are mostly southerly. Parent materials are primarily igneous and metamorphic residuum and colluvium. Most soils are classified as Entisols. They are poorly developed, well-drained, and coarse-textured, with much exposed bare ground and rock. This is an open-canopy shrubland dominated by the broad-leaved deciduous shrub Cercocarpus montanus (typically with 20-35% canopy cover), with Rhus trilobata always present in lower abundance. The succulent species Opuntia polyacantha is usually present, as well as the suffrutescent species Artemisia frigida, Artemisia ludoviciana, and Eriogonum umbellatum. The herbaceous layer is dominated by the perennial bunchgrass Hesperostipa comata, with 5-20% canopy cover. The other commonly present grass is Bouteloua gracilis. Muhlenbergia montana is typically absent or has low cover. Both perennial and annual forbs occur in the herbaceous layer in low abundance; some of the more important species include Erigeron pumilus, Astragalus parryi, and Allium textile.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This shrubland association is characterized by an open to moderately dense short-shrub layer (<2 m) dominated by the broad-leaved deciduous shrub Cercocarpus montanus (typically with 20-35% canopy cover), with an herbaceous layer dominated by Hesperostipa comata and Bouteloua gracilis. Other shrubs often include a few Ribes cereum or Rhus trilobata on most sites and occasional Pinus ponderosa or Juniperus scopulorum trees. Dwarf-shrubs Artemisia frigida and Opuntia polyacantha are typically present. The herbaceous layer is a mixture of grasses and forbs. Along with Hesperostipa comata and Bouteloua gracilis, associated species include Allium textile, Artemisia ludoviciana, Astragalus parryi, Eriogonum umbellatum, Elymus albicans (= Elymus lanceolatus ssp. albicans), Erigeron pumilus, Helianthus pumilus, Heterotheca villosa, Lesquerella montana, and Scutellaria brittonii. Introduced annual grass Bromus tectorum is often present.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This shrubland association is found in the foothills and lower montane zone of the eastern flank of the Colorado Front Range between 1750-2270 m (5700-7440) elevation. Stands have been described in Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Boulder counties, on topographic features including hogbacks, ridges, mesas, canyons and slopes. Slopes vary from moderate to steep (up to 60%), and aspects are mostly southerly. Parent materials are primarily igneous and metamorphic residuum and colluvium. Most soils are classified as Entisols. They are poorly developed, well-drained, and coarse-textured, with much exposed bare ground and rock.
Geographic Range: Stands of this association have been described from the eastern flank of the foothills of the Colorado Front Range in Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Boulder counties.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688588
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nf Western North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D022 | 2.B.2.Nf |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nf.1 Gambel Oak - Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany - Bitterbrush species Southern Rocky Mountain Montane Shrubland Macrogroup | M049 | 2.B.2.Nf.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nf.1.b Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany - Wavyleaf Oak - Skunkbush Sumac Foothill Shrubland Group | G276 | 2.B.2.Nf.1.b |
| Alliance | A3732 Utah Serviceberry - Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany - Littleleaf Mountain-mahogany Shrubland Alliance | A3732 | 2.B.2.Nf.1.b |
| Association | CEGL001092 Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany / Needle-and-Thread Shrubland | CEGL001092 | 2.B.2.Nf.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Cercocarpus montanus / Stipa comata Habitat Type (Hess 1981)
= Cercocarpus montanus / Stipa comata Habitat Type (Wasser and Hess 1982)
= Cercocarpus montanus / Stipa comata Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Study areas A and B (Roughton 1966)
= Study areas A and B (Roughton 1972)
= Cercocarpus montanus / Stipa comata Habitat Type (Wasser and Hess 1982)
= Cercocarpus montanus / Stipa comata Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Study areas A and B (Roughton 1966)
= Study areas A and B (Roughton 1972)
- 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.
- CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
- Hess, K. 1981. Phyto-edaphic study of habitat types of the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado. Unpublished dissertation, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 558 pp.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Roughton, R. D. 1966. Age structure of browse populations. Unpublished thesis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 154 pp.
- Roughton, R. D. 1972. Shrub age structures on a mule deer winter range in Colorado. Ecology 53(4):615-625.
- Salas, D., J. Stevens, and K. Schulz. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Technical Memorandum No. 8260-05-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 161 pp. plus Appendices A-L (733 pp.).
- Wasser, C. H., and K. Hess. 1982. The habitat types of Region II. USDA Forest Service: A synthesis. Final report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 140 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.