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CEGL001674 Pseudoroegneria spicata - Achnatherum hymenoides Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Indian Ricegrass Grassland
Colloquial Name: Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Indian Ricegrass Mixedgrass Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This sparse grassland association has been described from western Colorado, south-central Wyoming, and southwestern Montana. Stands occupy rocky or badland slopes with shallow, usually unstable soils. Common species in the sparse vegetation are Pseudoroegneria spicata (which generally dominates) and Achnatherum hymenoides. Among the other species which may be present, usually in small amounts, are Gutierrezia sarothrae, Aristida purpurea var. longiseta, Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Phlox spp., Artemisia frigida, and Chrysothamnus spp.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association has been described in some detail from western Colorado (with data from 3 plots). In Montana, the vegetation often is sparse (only about 10% canopy cover), and Phlox hoodii may contribute more canopy cover than do any of the grasses. The stands in Wyoming have been described only vaguely, and they seem to occur on different substrates (fine-textured badland slopes, as opposed to rocky slopes). More detailed information is needed from the Wyoming stands. The differences between this association and other Pseudoroegneria spicata-dominated types should also be analyzed carefully.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Common species in the sparse vegetation are Pseudoroegneria spicata (which generally dominates) and Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides). Among the other species which may be present, usually in small amounts, are Gutierrezia sarothrae, Aristida purpurea var. longiseta (= Aristida longiseta), Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Phlox spp., Artemisia frigida, and Chrysothamnus spp.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands occupy rocky or badland slopes with shallow, usually unstable soils.
Geographic Range: As this association is currently understood, it extends from southwestern Montana southward through Wyoming to western Colorado.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, MT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688711
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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 | A1262 Indian Ricegrass - Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Sandhill Muhly Grassland Alliance | A1262 | 3.B.1.Ne.1.c |
| Association | CEGL001674 Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Indian Ricegrass Grassland | CEGL001674 | 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
- Baker, W. L. 1983b. Some aspects of the presettlement vegetation of the Piceance Basin, Colorado. Great Basin Naturalist 43(4):687-699.
- Baker, W. L. 1984a. A preliminary classification of the natural vegetation of Colorado. Great Basin Naturalist 44(4):647-676.
- 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/]
- DeVelice, R. L. 1992. Classification of the plant communities of Beaverhead, Silver Bow, and Madison counties, Montana. Volume I (text). Prepared for the Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 35 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Seminoe II Mine Application. No date. Application No. 377-T2, on file at Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division, Cheyenne.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Warren, A. No date. Range site descriptions in Divide Resource Area. Unpublished report prepared for USDI Bureau of Land Management, Great Divide Resource Area, Rawlins, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.