Print Report
CEGL005354 Achnatherum lettermanii Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Letterman''s Needlegrass Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This grassland is known from Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks national parks in southwestern Utah, and from the Spring Mountains Recreational Area of southern Nevada. The following information is from Utah only. This grassland occurs from 2400 to 3200 m (7900-10,500 feet) elevation, on valley floors and gentle slopes along drainages. Soils are silty loam or silty clay loam on recent alluvium or volcanic ash of the Brian Head Formation. This semi-arid grassland has moderate cover (31-43%) and is characterized by the bunchgrass Achnatherum lettermanii. Other graminoids include Carex praegracilis, Koeleria macrantha, non-native Poa pratensis, Poa fendleriana, Elymus trachycaulus, and Poa glauca. Forbs may include Achillea millefolium, Antennaria rosulata, Antennaria parvifolia, Penstemon rydbergii, Potentilla concinna, and Solidago multiradiata. Shrubs are sparse to absent and may include Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Ericameria parryi, and Chrysothamnus vaseyi. A few scattered individual trees such as Pinus ponderosa and Picea pungens may be present.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Data from Nevada (Nachlinger and Reese 1996) do not include species composition or environmental setting. They reference Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf (1995), but this is only to the Subalpine Meadow Habitat that does not list Achnatherum lettermanii and, in fact, lists no species in common with Nachlinger and Reese (1996) nor with Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks data.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This semi-arid grassland has moderate cover (31-43%) and is characterized by the bunchgrass Achnatherum lettermanii. Other graminoids include Carex praegracilis, Koeleria macrantha, non-native Poa pratensis, Poa fendleriana, Elymus trachycaulus, and Poa glauca. Forbs may include Achillea millefolium, Antennaria rosulata, Antennaria parvifolia, Penstemon rydbergii, Potentilla concinna, and Solidago multiradiata. Shrubs are sparse to absent and may include Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Ericameria parryi (= Chrysothamnus parryi), and Chrysothamnus vaseyi. A few scattered individual trees such as Pinus ponderosa and Picea pungens may be present.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: In Utah, this grassland occurs from 2400 to 3200 m (7900-10,500 feet) elevation, on valley floors and gentle slopes along drainages. Soils are silty loam or silty clay loam on recent alluvium or volcanic ash of the Brian Head Formation.
Geographic Range: This grassland is known from Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks national parks in southwestern Utah, and from the Spring Mountains Recreational Area of southern Nevada.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NV, UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.815323
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.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.Nf Western North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D022 | 2.B.2.Nf |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nf.3 Tufted Hairgrass - Licorice-root species - Mountain Muhly Subalpine-High Montane Mesic Meadow Macrogroup | M168 | 2.B.2.Nf.3 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nf.3.a Arizona Fescue - Thurber''s Fescue - Mountain Muhly Grassland Group | G268 | 2.B.2.Nf.3.a |
| Alliance | A3953 Arizona Fescue - Mountain Muhly - Muttongrass Southern Rocky Mountain Montane Grassland Alliance | A3953 | 2.B.2.Nf.3.a |
| Association | CEGL005354 Letterman''s Needlegrass Grassland | CEGL005354 | 2.B.2.Nf.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Achnatherum lettermanii Herbaceous Vegetation (Tendick et al. 2011a)
- 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.
- Nachlinger, J. L., and G. A. Reese. 1996. Plant community classification of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Clark and Nye counties, Nevada. Unpublished report submitted to USDA Forest Service, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Las Vegas, NV. The Nature Conservancy, Northern Nevada Office, Reno, NV. 85 pp. plus figures and appendices.
- Sawyer, J. O., and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995. A manual of California vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 471 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.
- Tendick, A., B. Friesen, G. Kittel, P. Williams, J. Coles, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and A. Evenden. 2011a. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Cedar Breaks National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2011/470. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Tendick, A., G. Kittel, J. Von Loh, P. Williams, D. Cogan, J. Coles, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and A. Evenden. 2011b. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Bryce Canyon National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2011/442. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.