Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Gambel Oak - New Mexico Locust / Sun Sedge Shrubland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This association is only known to occur at Bandelier National Monument in north-central New Mexico. The current description is based on data received from there and will be updated when additional inventory data are available. This association occurs on sites with moderate to high solar exposure that increases with elevation. Stands occur on steep canyon and mountain slopes (30-65% slope) to gently rolling mesatops (<10%). Soils are mapped primarily as rocky but well-developed Mollisols or as poorly developed and rocky Inceptisols derived from latite, dacite, or rhyolitic tuff alluvium and colluvium parent materials. The ground surface is characterized by scattered bunchgrasses and sedges intermixed with litter, exposed soil, rock, and gravel; some sites are very rocky. This montane shrubland occurs across a wide elevational gradient between 1980 and 2900 m (6500-9550 feet). It typically occurs in burned areas that once supported pine and mixed conifer forests. Shrub cover can exceed 80% and is dominated by deciduous broadleaf Quercus gambelii and Robinia neomexicana (occasionally Quercus gambelii can be present as mature trees). Common to abundant shrub associates may include Ceanothus fendleri, Physocarpus monogynus, Rosa woodsii, Rubus idaeus, and Symphoricarpos oreophilus. Tree seedlings and saplings (including Abies concolor, Pinus ponderosa, and Pseudotsuga menziesii) may be present. The herbaceous layer is rich in species, but variable in cover (5-70%). Graminoids are most abundant with Carex inops ssp. heliophila and other deer sedges (Carex geophila, Carex occidentalis, and Carex rossii) diagnostic and often abundant. Common associates include Koeleria macrantha and Poa fendleriana. On sites that have been seeded following fire, Agropyron cristatum, Bromus catharticus, Bromus inermis, Elymus trachycaulus, and Pascopyrum smithii, among others, can be common to abundant. While forbs are diverse, composition is variable from stand to stand, and cover is usually less than 5%.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This association may represent a splitting of more broadly defined ~Quercus gambelii / Robinia neomexicana Shrubland (CEGL001115)$$. However, initial review indicates that it has a sparse herbaceous understory. ~Quercus gambelii - Robinia neomexicana / Muhlenbergia montana Shrubland (CEGL005380)$$ is similar, but typically occurs on less xeric sites, and the herbaceous layer is dominated by mountain muhly rather than dry sedges. This association is also similar to ~Quercus gambelii / Robinia neomexicana / Symphoricarpos rotundifolius Shrubland (CEGL001116)$$, but lacks a short-shrub layer dominated by species of Symphoricarpos.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available