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CEGL002036 Schizachyrium scoparium - Bouteloua curtipendula Loess Mixedgrass Grassland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Little Bluestem - Sideoats Grama Loess Mixedgrass Grassland

Colloquial Name: Little Bluestem Loess Mixedgrass Prairie

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This little bluestem mixedgrass prairie community is found on loess deposits in the central Great Plains of the United States. Stands occurs on level to steep uplands on soils that are usually deep loam or silt loam. Sand may occur near or above streams. This community is dominated by short and mid grasses, with tall grasses scattered on the lower slopes. Canopy cover is moderate to dense. Dominant species are Schizachyrium scoparium and Bouteloua curtipendula. Schizachyrium scoparium is especially dominant on steeper slopes while Bouteloua curtipendula may be more common on gentle slopes. On the level uplands and upper slopes Bouteloua gracilis may become more abundant whereas on the lower slopes Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum, and Pascopyrum smithii may be more abundant. Other grasses that may be found include Aristida purpurea, Koeleria macrantha, Hesperostipa comata, Sporobolus compositus, Muhlenbergia cuspidata, and Bouteloua dactyloides. Bouteloua dactyloides is more common on level sites farther west. Common forbs include Amorpha canescens, Artemisia dracunculus, Asclepias pumila, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, Symphyotrichum ericoides, Solidago missouriensis, Liatris punctata, Lygodesmia juncea, Sphaeralcea coccinea, Echinacea angustifolia, and Ratibida columnifera.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This type is broadly defined regionally, but has been well described in Nebraska by Steinauer and Rolfsmeier (2000, and references therein), who also note compositional variation related to limestone and shale outcrops. The stands in North-central NE and south-central SD Loess should be accounted for in G331 or G141.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: This community is dominated by short and mid grasses, with tall grasses scattered to common on the lower slopes. In central South Dakota, stands had a mean vegetation height of about 25 cm. The vegetation, consisting of grasses and forbs, was moderately open with approximately 15% of the ground in a stand as bare soil (USACE 1979). Shrubs are uncommon. Herbaceous canopy cover is moderate to dense. Bouteloua curtipendula and Schizachyrium scoparium are abundant, with Schizachyrium scoparium dominant on steeper slopes and Bouteloua curtipendula more common on gentle slopes (Tomanek and Albertson 1957). On level uplands and upper slopes Bouteloua gracilis increases in abundance (Hulett et al. 1968). On lower slopes and in draws, tall and mid grasses dominate, including Andropogon gerardii, Bouteloua curtipendula, Panicum virgatum, and Pascopyrum smithii. Other grasses frequently found in this community include Aristida purpurea, Bouteloua dactyloides (= Buchloe dactyloides), Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia cuspidata, Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata), Sporobolus compositus var. compositus, and Muhlenbergia cuspidata. Bouteloua dactyloides is more common on level sites farther west and in heavily grazed sites. Patches of shrubs are often common locally in low places including draws. More common shrub species include Prunus virginiana, Ribes aureum var. villosum, Symphoricarpos occidentalis, and Toxicodendron rydbergii. Amorpha canescens and Yucca glauca are common shrubs of uplands. Among the common forb species in this community are Artemisia dracunculus, Asclepias pumila, Symphyotrichum ericoides (= Aster ericoides), Echinacea angustifolia, Liatris punctata, Lygodesmia juncea, Ratibida columnifera, Solidago missouriensis, and Sphaeralcea coccinea. Many sites have been intensively invaded by Bromus inermis and Poa pratensis, often to the near exclusion of native species. Other frequent exotic invaders include Bromus tectorum, Bassia scoparia (= Kochia scoparia), and Salsola collina. Overall species diversity is moderate to relatively high in well-preserved sites (Lauver et al. 1999, Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2000).

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  This community can occur on level to steep uplands in level, rolling and dissected loess plains. It is most commonly found on steep, rocky, south-facing slopes with inclinations ranging from 20-30°. The soils are formed from loess and are usually deep (>100 cm) clay, loam, or silt loam textures that are moderately to rapidly well-drained (Lauver et al. 1999, Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2000). Sand may occur near or above streams. Stands in and around Pierre, South Dakota, may be part of a Hill subtype that occurs on highly calcareous clay (D. Ode pers. comm. 1996).
Geographic Range: This little bluestem mixedgrass prairie community is found on loess deposits in the central Great Plains, ranging from Nebraska south to Colorado and Kansas. A "Hill subtype" may occur in north-central Nebraska along the Missouri River and lower Niobrara Riverand in south-central South Dakota along the Missouri River and in the Fort Pierre National Grassland.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  CO, KS, NE, SD


Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?

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.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division D023 2.B.2.Nb
Macrogroup 2.B.2.Nb.2 Needle-and-Thread - Western Wheatgrass - Plains Rough Fescue Grassland Macrogroup M051 2.B.2.Nb.2
Group 2.B.2.Nb.2.a Little Bluestem - Sideoats Grama - Western Wheatgrass Mixedgrass Prairie Group G133 2.B.2.Nb.2.a
Alliance A4042 Little Bluestem - Sideoats Grama Central Plains Grassland Alliance A4042 2.B.2.Nb.2.a
Association CEGL002036 Little Bluestem - Sideoats Grama Loess Mixedgrass Grassland CEGL002036 2.B.2.Nb.2.a
Concept Lineage: merged with existing 2036.

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Andropogon scoparius - Andropogon gerardii - Bouteloua curtipendula (USACE 1979) [In 1979, Steve Archer and Larry L. Tieszen studied patterns and distributions of upland plant communities along the east bank of the Lake Francis Case Reservoir on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota. In addition to the Andropogon scoparius - Andropogon gerardii - Bouteloua curtipendula community, several other types that they recognized are tentatively combined with this type: 1. Juniperus virginiana - Andropogon gerardii - Andropogon scoparius is a savanna-like community with grasses and scattered cedars, which occurs on north-facing and south-facing slopes with inclinations ranging from 20-30º. This community may result from invasion by Juniperus virginiana, facilitated by fire suppression, into Andropogon scoparius - Andropogon gerardii - Bouteloua curtipendula communities. The community''s relatively high diversity largely results from this invasion by woodland species. It is very restricted in range and distribution. 2. Yucca glauca - Bouteloua curtipendula - Agropyron smithii is a grassland with scattered shrubs, which occurs on steep, rocky, south-facing slopes of 20-30º inclination. This community, occurring in the northern part of the study area, occupies the niche exploited by the Andropogon scoparius - Andropogon gerardii - Bouteloua curtipendula community in the southern part of the study area.]
= Schizachyrium scoparium - Bouteloua curtipendula Loess Mixedgrass Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Atwood Prairie, Hillside (Tomanek and Albertson 1957)
= Atwood Prairie, Sharp Breaks (Tomanek and Albertson 1957)
< Loess Hills and Plains, Nebraska (Weaver and Albertson 1956)
= Mixed-grass type (Hopkins 1951)
Concept Author(s): D. Faber-Langendoen (2001)

Author of Description: J. Drake, S.B. Rolfsmeier

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 02-01-97
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  • Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
  • Hopkins, H. H. 1951. Ecology of the native vegetation of the Loess Hills in central Nebraska. Ecological Monographs 21(2):125-147.
  • Hulett, G. K., et al. 1968. The vegetation of remnant grasslands in the loessial region of northwestern Kansas and southwestern Nebraska. Southwestern Naturalist 13:377-391.
  • Lauver, C. L., K. Kindscher, D. Faber-Langendoen, and R. Schneider. 1999. A classification of the natural vegetation of Kansas. The Southwestern Naturalist 44:421-443.
  • Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Ode, Dave. Personal communication. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
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  • SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
  • Steinauer, G. 1989. Characterization of the natural communities of Nebraska. Appendix D, pages 103-114 in: M. Clausen, M. Fritz, and G. Steinauer. The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, two year progress report. Unpublished document. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Natural Heritage Program, Lincoln, NE.
  • Tomanek, G. W., and F. W. Albertson. 1957. Variations in cover, composition, production, and roots of vegetation in two prairies in western Kansas. Ecological Monographs 27(3):267-281.
  • USACE [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]. 1979. A cultural resources reconnaissance of the federal lands on the east bank of Lake Francis Case, South Dakota. U.S. Army Engineer District, Corps of Engineers, Omaha, NE.
  • Weaver, J. E., and F. W. Albertson. 1956. Grasslands of the Great Plains: Their nature and use. Johnsen Publishing Co., Lincoln, NE. 395 pp.
  • Weaver, J. E., and W. E. Bruner. 1948. Prairies and pastures of the dissected loess plains of central Nebraska. Ecological Monographs 18(4):507-549.