Print Report
CEGL003774 Juniperus osteosperma - (Pinus edulis) / Coleogyne ramosissima - Purshia stansburiana - Quercus havardii var. tuckeri Wooded Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Utah Juniper - (Two-needle Pinyon) / Blackbrush - Stansbury''s Cliffrose - Tucker Sand Shinnery Oak Wooded Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association has been documented from the canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau in eastern Utah. This wooded shrubland association has a mixed shrub canopy, with scattered trees of Pinus edulis and/or Juniperus osteosperma. Woody plants tend to be rooted in bedrock fractures; herbaceous plants persist in the thin deposits of sand that cover the substrate. Total vegetation cover is variable, ranging from 2 to 65% depending on the degree of fracturing of the underlying bedrock. The vegetation is characterized by an open canopy of stunted Juniperus osteosperma or Pinus edulis ranging in cover from 1 to 15% and a shrub understory in which Coleogyne ramosissima is always present and is always accompanied by either or both Purshia stansburiana and Quercus havardii var. tuckeri. Shrub cover may often exceed total tree cover. Pinus edulis, typically 2-5 m tall, may be present with low cover relative to Juniperus osteosperma. The shrub layer may contain as many as ten species, depending on how xeric or mesic the site is. Herbaceous species are rarely important in these stands. This wooded shrubland association occurs where a thin veneer of sand has been deposited in slickrock depressions, on escarpments, plateaus, benches, ridges, hogbacks, valley sides and slopes, dunes, swales, in slot canyons, and washes. Sites are on flat to steep slopes (up to 70%), occur between 1296 and 1890 m elevation, and are oriented to all aspects. Biological soil crust cover is typically low but can be as high as 45%. Soils are derived from eolian deposits and include rapidly drained loams, loamy sands to sandy clays and sands.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is largely known and described from National Park Service inventory efforts in the Colorado Plateau
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This wooded shrubland association has a mixed shrub canopy, with scattered trees of Pinus edulis and/or Juniperus osteosperma. Woody plants tend to be rooted in bedrock fractures; herbaceous plants persist in the thin deposits of sand that cover the substrate. Total vegetation cover is variable, ranging from 2 to 65% depending on the degree of fracturing of the underlying bedrock. The vegetation is characterized by an open canopy of stunted Juniperus osteosperma or Pinus edulis ranging in cover from 1 to 15% and a shrub understory in which Coleogyne ramosissima is always present and is always accompanied by either or both Purshia stansburiana and Quercus havardii var. tuckeri. Shrub cover often exceeds total tree cover. Pinus edulis, typically 2-5 m tall, may be present with low cover relative to Juniperus osteosperma. The shrub layer may contain as many as ten species, depending on how xeric or mesic the site is. Xeric stands most commonly include Artemisia bigelovii, Atriplex canescens, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Ephedra torreyana, Ephedra cutleri, Ephedra viridis, Fraxinus anomala, Glossopetalon spinescens var. meionandrum, Gutierrezia microcephala, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea (= Opuntia erinacea), Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha, Mahonia fremontii, Rhus trilobata, Shepherdia rotundifolia, Sclerocactus whipplei, and Yucca harrimaniae. In more mesic sites, Amelanchier utahensis, Cercocarpus intricatus, or Cercocarpus montanus may be present. Herbs are generally too sparse to form a layer but may be diverse. Grasses include Achnatherum hymenoides, Achnatherum speciosum, Aristida purpurea, Bouteloua barbata, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Vulpia octoflora (= Festuca octoflora), and exotic Bromus tectorum. Forbs include Arenaria fendleri, Chamaesyce fendleri, Cryptantha flava, Descurainia pinnata, Hedysarum boreale, Lepidium montanum, Lomatium parryi, Machaeranthera grindelioides, Plantago patagonica, Petradoria pumila, Rumex hymenosepalus, Streptanthella longirostris, and Tetraneuris acaulis (= Hymenoxys acaulis). Exotic forbs are sometimes present and include Chenopodium album, Erodium cicutarium, and Salsola tragus. Biological soil crust cover is generally sparse (<15%), although some stands have nearly 50% cover, and is usually well-developed.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This wooded shrubland association occurs where a thin veneer of sand has been deposited in slickrock depressions, on escarpments, plateaus, benches, ridges, hogbacks, valley sides and slopes, dunes, swales, in slot canyons, and washes. Sites are on flat to steep slopes (up to 70%), occur between 1296 and 1890 m elevation, and are oriented to all aspects. Bedrock and bare soil typically cover most of the unvegetated surface. Litter provides sparse to low cover. Biological soil crust cover is typically low but can be as high as 45%. Soils are rapidly drained sand, sandy loams, sandy clay loams, or loamy sands derived from eolian or alluvium deposits, sandstone and shale bedrock or colluvium. Parent materials are variable and include Cedar Mesa, Wingate, Kayenta, Entrada (including the Dewey Bridge Member), and Navajo sandstone formations, the Moab Tongue of the Curtis Formation, the Chinle Formation and the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation.
Geographic Range: This association is known from the canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau in eastern Utah. It is reported from Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef national parks and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.791964
Confidence Level: High
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Nc Western North American Pinyon - Juniper Woodland & Scrub Division | D010 | 1.B.2.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Nc.1 Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper - Western Juniper Intermountain Woodland Macrogroup | M896 | 1.B.2.Nc.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nc.1.a Two-needle Pinyon - Utah Juniper Woodland Group | G900 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.a |
| Alliance | A4371 Utah Juniper Colorado Plateau Shrubby Woodland Alliance | A4371 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL003774 Utah Juniper - (Two-needle Pinyon) / Blackbrush - Stansbury''s Cliffrose - Tucker Sand Shinnery Oak Wooded Shrubland | CEGL003774 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Juniperus osteosperma - (Pinus edulis) / Coleogyne ramosissima - Purshia stansburiana - Quercus havardii var. tuckeri Wooded Shrubland (Coles et al. 2009a)
- Clark, D., M. Dela Cruz, T. Clark, J. Coles, S. Topp, A. Evenden, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and J. Von Loh. 2009. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Capitol Reef National Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2009/187. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 882 pp.
- Coles, J., A. Tendick, G. Manis, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, J. Von Loh, and A. Evenden. 2009a. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Arches National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2009/253. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 544 pp.
- Romme, W. H., K. D. Heil, J. M. Porter, and R. Fleming. 1993. Plant communities of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. USDI National Park Service, Technical Report NPS/NAUCARE/NRTER-93/02. Cooperative Park Studies Unit, Northern Arizona University. 37 pp.
- Tendick, A., J. Coles, K. Decker, M. Hall, J. Von Loh, T. Belote, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and A. Evenden. 2012. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Canyonlands National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2012/577. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Tendick, A., J. Spence, M. Reid, K. Shulz, G. Kittel, K. Green, A. Wight, and G. Wakefield. 2017. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCPN/NRR—2017/1500. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 1464 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.