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CEGL002762 Aquilegia micrantha Hanging Garden
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Mancos Columbine Hanging Garden
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is restricted to perennial seeps in crevices, ledges, and alcoves in sandstone canyon walls in western Colorado. Sites may be on inaccessible cliff faces or moderate to steep ledgy canyon slopes oriented to any aspect. Soils are sandy, poorly drained and often have a white salt crust on the surface. The underlying geology is usually sandstone or a fine conglomerate, and is often extensively exposed throughout stands of this association. Stands are often linear, following horizontal joints in the bedrock from which groundwater emerges. Changes in the seasonality, quantity or chemistry of the groundwater may result in changes in community extent, density and composition. The vegetation consists primarily of forb species, among which Aquilegia micrantha is always present and often patchily dominant. Other forb species that are often present include Cirsium calcareum and Solidago simplex, as well as the lianas Toxicodendron rydbergii and Clematis ligusticifolia. Calamagrostis scopulorum and Mimulus eastwoodiae are absent. Graminoids contribute little cover within the garden but may be more abundant in the plunge pools at the base of the cliff or the apron of eroded debris below the seep. Scattered shrubs and trees are often present, either within the garden or also rooted in the debris apron. Woody species vary from site to site but often include Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, Fraxinus anomala, Cercocarpus intricatus, and Amelanchier utahensis.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is part of a complex of herbaceous communities collectively know as "hanging gardens." Few systematic studies of these communities have been completed, and little quantitative data are available, partly because stands can be difficult or dangerous to access. As more data become available, the various hanging garden associations should be revisited. John Spence, botanist at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, is reported to be in the process of publishing a comprehensive study and classification of hanging gardens in the Colorado Plateau (J. Spence pers. comm. 2005).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This cliff-based herbaceous wetland type is unique to the Colorado Plateau. Stands are often linear, following horizontal joints in the bedrock from which groundwater emerges. The vegetation consists primarily of forb species, among which Aquilegia micrantha is always present and often patchily dominant. Other forb species that are often present include Cirsium calcareum, Solidago simplex, and Artemisia ludoviciana. The lianas Toxicodendron rydbergii and Clematis ligusticifolia may also be present. Calamagrostis scopulorum and Mimulus eastwoodiae are absent. Graminoids contribute little cover within the garden but may be more abundant in the plunge pools at the base of the cliff or the apron of eroded debris below the seep. Scattered shrubs and trees are often present, either within the garden or rooted in the debris apron. Woody species vary from site to site but often include Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, Fraxinus anomala, Cercocarpus intricatus, and Amelanchier utahensis.
Dynamics: These communities are dependent on a steady supply of groundwater throughout the growing season. Changes in the seasonality, quantity or chemistry of the groundwater may result in changes in community extent, density and composition.
Environmental Description: This association is restricted to perennial seeps in crevices, ledges, and alcoves in sandstone canyon walls in the Colorado Plateau. Sites may be on inaccessible cliff faces or moderate to steep slopes oriented to any aspect. Soils are sandy, poorly drained and often have a white salt crust on the surface. The underlying geology is usually sandstone or a fine conglomerate, and is often extensively exposed throughout stands of this association.
Geographic Range: This association has been documented only from hanging gardens in Colorado National Monument in western Colorado. It is likely to occur elsewhere in the canyons of western Colorado and possibly eastern Utah in sites where Calamagrostis scopulorum and Mimulus eastwoodiae do not grow.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.770573
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nc Southwestern North American Warm Desert Freshwater Marsh & Bosque Division | D032 | 2.C.4.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nc.1 Warm Desert Lowland Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M076 | 2.C.4.Nc.1 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nc.1.a Maidenhair Fern species - Monkeyflower species - Columbine species Colorado Plateau Seep Group | G545 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.a |
| Alliance | A2506 Mancos Columbine Hanging Garden Alliance | A2506 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL002762 Mancos Columbine Hanging Garden | CEGL002762 | 2.C.4.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Aquilegia micrantha Herbaceous Vegetation (Von Loh et al. 2007)
- Spence, J. Personal communication. Botanist, National Park Service, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Glen Canyon, UT.
- Von Loh, J., K. Landgraf, A. Evenden, T. Owens, S. Blauer, and M. Reid. 2007. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Colorado National Monument. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2007/061. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 564 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.