Print Report

CEGL000836 Pinus monophylla - Juniperus osteosperma / Prunus virginiana Woodland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available


Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper / Chokecherry Woodland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This association has been described from a small region in south-central Idaho at the southern end of the Albion Mountains, Cassia County, Idaho. It has also been reported from Nevada. Little information is available regarding the structure and composition of this association. Two evergreen needle-leaved trees dominate the canopy, Pinus monophylla and Juniperus osteosperma, with total cover of 30-70%. Pinus monophylla is always present, while the Juniperus is present with varying frequency. There is a tall-shrub layer dominated by the broad-leaved deciduous Prunus virginiana. The herbaceous understory is not described, but probably includes perennial bunchgrasses and forbs. This association occurs in a mountainous region that is part of the northern extension of the Basin and Range Province into Idaho. This region is characterized by a series of parallel mountain ranges oriented in a north-south direction. The intervening valleys are wide and floored with sediments from ancient Lake Bonneville. The southern Albion Mountains, where this association is found, are a complex of four gneiss domes, aligned along a north-south axis. Landforms associated with these domes include steep-sided ridges, and erosional features such as tors and linear rock ridges enclosing narrow canyons. Rock types include granodiorite, gneiss with bodies of schist, some quartzite, and lenses, pods and sheets of amphibolite.

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: Little information is available regarding the structure and composition of this association. Two evergreen needle-leaved trees dominate the canopy, Pinus monophylla and Juniperus osteosperma, with total cover of 30-70%. Pinus monophylla is always present, while the Juniperus is present with varying frequency. There is a tall-shrub layer dominated by the broad-leaved deciduous Prunus virginiana. The herbaceous understory is not described, but probably includes perennial bunchgrasses and forbs. No other information is available on plant species cover or composition.

Dynamics:  No Data Available

Environmental Description:  This association occurs in a mountainous region that is part of the northern extension of the Basin and Range Province into Idaho. This region is characterized by a series of parallel mountain ranges oriented in a north-south direction. The intervening valleys are wide and floored with sediments from ancient Lake Bonneville. The southern Albion Mountains, where this association is found, are a complex of four gneiss domes, aligned along a north-south axis. Landforms associated with these domes include steep-sided ridges, and erosional features such as tors and linear rock ridges enclosing narrow canyons. Rock types include granodiorite, gneiss with bodies of schist, some quartzite, and lenses, pods and sheets of amphibolite. The climate of the region is characterized as semi-arid, with warm summers and cold winters. Average annual precipitation is 28 cm (11 inches), and shows a peak during April through June, when more than 30% of the annual total is received. The remainder is distributed evenly throughout the year. More specific information for this association is not available. Elevations range from approximately 1830 to 2255 m (6000-7400 feet). Soils are sandy to gravelly and well-drained. In arid to semi-arid regions, Prunus virginiana typically occurs along ravines and watercourses, and in more mesic sites. From this it can be inferred that this association may occupy the narrow canyons and small valleys where the flow of water is channeled when draining off the surrounding rocky topography.

Geographic Range: This association has been described from a small region in south-central Idaho at the southern end of the Albion Mountains, Cassia County, Idaho. Part of the region is contained in the City of Rocks National Reserve and the City of Rocks RNA. It has also been reported from Nevada.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  CA, ID, NV




Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available

Grank: G1Q

Greasons: No Data Available


Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available

Synonomy: = Pinus monophylla - Juniperus osteosperma / Prunus virginiana (Caicco and Wellner 1983a)

Concept Author(s): M.S. Reid

Author of Description: M.S. Reid

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 11-08-93

  • 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., and C. A. Wellner. 1983a. Research Natural Area recommendation for City of Rocks. Unpublished report prepared for USDI Bureau of Land Management, Burley District, Idaho by Idaho Natural Areas Coordinating Committee. On file at Idaho Conservation Data Center, Boise, ID. 12 pp.
  • Cogan, D., J. E. Taylor, and K. Schulz. 2012. Vegetation inventory project: Great Basin National Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/MOJN/NRR--2012/568. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 373 pp.
  • Schulz, K. A., and M. E. Hall. 2011. Vegetation inventory project: Great Basin National Park. Unpublished report submitted to USDI National Park Service, Mojave Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network. NatureServe, Western Regional Office, Boulder, CO. 30 pp. plus Appendices A-H.
  • Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.