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CEGL003139 Carex helleri - Saxifraga tolmiei - Luzula spicata Alpine Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Heller''s Sedge - Tolmie''s Saxifrage - Spiked Woodrush Alpine Meadow
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This herbaceous association is currently only known from Yosemite National Park in California, and the following description is based on occurrences there. Additional information will be added as it becomes available. This alpine herbaceous/grassland association grows in sheltered cold concavities that retain snowpatches, often persisting until late July. Elevations average about 3100 m (10,200 feet). Stands are found on moderately steep to steep midslopes, and aspects are north to east. Soils are rapidly drained sands derived from granitic and metamorphic parent materials. Much of the substrate is broken talus or bedrock. This sparse herbaceous/grassland association forms an open canopy less than 0.5 m in height. Total vegetative cover is less than 20%. Stands are codominated by the graminoid Carex helleri and the forb Saxifraga tolmiei. Luzula divaricata is also diagnostic but has lower constancy than the dominant species. This vegetation is not very diverse; only nine species were recorded from a plot. Other graminoids recorded at trace amounts include Carex breweri and/or Trisetum spicatum. Forbs present in trace amounts may include Arabis lyallii, Arabis platysperma, Lupinus lepidus, and/or Silene sargentii. Traces of emergent krummholz Pinus albicaulis may be present.
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: No Data Available
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: No Data Available
Geographic Range: This association is only known from the vicinity of Yosemite. Information about its global range is not available without additional inventory. Carex helleri has its center of distribution in the high mountains of California (including Mt. Shasta and the High Sierra). It ranges north to Oregon and east to Nevada.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688804
Confidence Level: Low
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 | A3365 Heller''s Sedge Alpine Meadow Alliance | A3365 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.b |
| Association | CEGL003139 Heller''s Sedge - Tolmie''s Saxifrage - Spiked Woodrush Alpine Meadow | CEGL003139 | 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 helleri - Saxifraga tolmiei - Luzula divaricata (Sawyer et al. 2009) [45.145.03]
= Carex helleri - Saxifraga tolmiei - Luzula spicata Association (Taylor 1984)
= Carex helleri - Saxifraga tolmiei - Luzula spicata Herbaceous Vegetation (Keeler-Wolf 2002)
= Carex helleri-Saxifraga tolmiei-Luzula divaricata Herbaceous Vegetation (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012) [(Taylor 1984)]
= Carex helleri - Saxifraga tolmiei - Luzula spicata Association (Taylor 1984)
= Carex helleri - Saxifraga tolmiei - Luzula spicata Herbaceous Vegetation (Keeler-Wolf 2002)
= Carex helleri-Saxifraga tolmiei-Luzula divaricata Herbaceous Vegetation (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012) [(Taylor 1984)]
- Keeler-Wolf, T. 2002. Classification of the vegetation of Yosemite National Park and surrounding environs in Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera and Mono counties, California. NatureServe in cooperation with the California Native Plant Society and California Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, CA. August 2002.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., M. Schindel, S. San, P. Moore, and D. Hickson. 2003a. Classification of the vegetation of Yosemite National Park and surrounding environs in Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera and Mono counties, California. Unpublished report by NatureServe in cooperation with the California Native Plant Society and California Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch, Sacramento, CA.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., P. E. Moore, E. T. Reyes, J. M. Menke, D. N. Johnson, and D. L. Karavidas. 2012. Yosemite National Park vegetation classification and mapping project report. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/YOSE/NRTR--2012/598. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Sawyer, J. O., T. Keeler-Wolf, and J. Evens. 2009. A manual of California vegetation. Second edition. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento CA. 1300 pp.
- Taylor, D. W. 1984. Vegetation of the Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, Inyo National Forest, California. Unpublished report. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Berkeley, CA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.