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CEGL001856 Carex elynoides - Oxytropis sericea Alpine Turf
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Blackroot Sedge - White Locoweed Alpine Turf
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This plant association is known from broad, gentle alpine ridges of east-central Idaho. The association occurs on gentle to moderately steep ridgetops. Sites occur on windward ridgecrest exposures at 2870-3290 m (9400-10,800 feet) elevation. The association occurs on convex microtopographical features. Seasonal snow accumulation is low. Sites are frequently blown snow-free in winter. The community is characterized by a short, dense, fibrous-rooted Carex elynoides-dominated turf. Poa secunda and Poa glauca ssp. rupicola are commonly associated grass species. Important herbaceous species include Oxytropis sericea, Phlox pulvinata, Potentilla diversifolia, Agoseris glauca, and Eritrichium nanum. A similar association, ~Carex elynoides - Lupinus argenteus Alpine Turf (CEGL001854)$$, occurs on adjacent downwind sites. Concave microtopography of Carex elynoides - Lupinus argenteus sites appears to allow greater snow accumulation. Soil disturbance resulting from the burrowing of rodents that utilize this winter snow cover gives rise to consistently greater abundance of Lupinus argenteus in Carex elynoides - Lupinus argenteus compared to Carex elynoides - Oxytropis sericea.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The association is treated by a number of studies that have employed a range of different field methods and analytical techniques within limited portions of the range (Rust 1997a). Carex elynoides alpine turf communities are described for east-central Idaho by Caicco (1983), Moseley (1985), Urbanczyk (1993), Richardson and Henderson (1999), and Cooper et al. (1997).
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: The association is tentatively known only from the mountains of east-central Idaho.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID, MT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688622
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.b Blackroot Sedge - Bellardi Bog Sedge - Cushion Phlox Alpine Turf & Fell-field Group | G314 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.b |
| Alliance | A3155 Blackroot Sedge - Curly Sedge - Bellardi Bog Sedge Rocky Mountain Alpine Turf Alliance | A3155 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.b |
| Association | CEGL001856 Blackroot Sedge - White Locoweed Alpine Turf | CEGL001856 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Carex elynoides - Oxytropis sericea (Rust 1997a)
< Carex elynoides Community Type (Moseley 1987a)
? Carex elynoides alpine turf community (Urbanczyk 1993)
= Carex elynoides alpine turf community (Caicco 1983)
< Carex elynoides alpine turf community (Moseley 1985)
? Carex elynoides alpine turf community (Richardson and Henderson 1999)
< Carex elynoides c.t. (Cooper et al. 1997)
< Carex elynoides Community Type (Moseley 1987a)
? Carex elynoides alpine turf community (Urbanczyk 1993)
= Carex elynoides alpine turf community (Caicco 1983)
< Carex elynoides alpine turf community (Moseley 1985)
? Carex elynoides alpine turf community (Richardson and Henderson 1999)
< Carex elynoides c.t. (Cooper et al. 1997)
- 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.
- Caicco, S. L. 1983. Alpine vegetation of the Copper Basin area, south-central Idaho. Unpublished thesis, University of Idaho, Moscow. 99 pp.
- 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.
- Moseley, R. K. 1985. Synecological relationships of alpine spike-fescue grasslands in east-central Idaho. Unpublished thesis, University of Idaho, Moscow. 70 pp.
- Moseley, R. K. 1987a. Synecological relationships of alpine spike-fescue (Leucopoa kingii (Wats.) Weber) grasslands in eastcentral Idaho, U.S.A. Unpublished manuscript prepared for Arctic and Alpine Research. 33 pp.
- Richardson, C. A. 1996. Classification and ordination of the alpine plant communities of Railroad Ridge, White Cloud Peaks, Custer County, Idaho. Unpublished thesis, University of Idaho, Moscow. 75 pp.
- Richardson, C. A., and D. M. Henderson. 1999. Classification and ordination of the alpine plant communities of Railroad Ridge, White Cloud Peaks, Idaho. Great Basin Naturalist 59(1):63-78.
- Rust, S. K. 1997a. Community concepts and applications for conservation. Unpublished report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, Intermountain Region and Intermountain Research Station. Conservation Data Center, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise. 67 pp.
- Urbanczyk, S. M. 1993. Classification and ordination of alpine plant communities, Sheep Mountain, Lemhi County, Idaho. Unpublished thesis, University of Idaho, Moscow.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.