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CEGL009522 Acacia greggii - Larrea tridentata - Hymenoclea salsola Desert Wash Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Catclaw Acacia - Creosotebush - Burrobrush Desert Wash Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This desert wash scrub occurs at low to upper elevations in the Mojave Desert in California and southern Nevada and extends into the Colorado Plateau in Arizona. Vegetation is characterized by an open to moderately dense shrub canopy (7-48% cover) dominated or codominated by Acacia greggii with Hymenoclea salsola and Larrea tridentata being present to codominant. It is a wide-ranging type with many possible associates present such as Adenophyllum cooperi, Ambrosia spp., Brickellia incana, Encelia virginensis, Ephedra nevadensis, Krameria erecta, Lycium spp., Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, Opuntia basilaris, Salazaria mexicana, Salvia dorrii, and Yucca schidigera. Occasional emergent Yucca brevifolia or Chilopsis linearis trees are sometimes present. If present, the herbaceous layer is typically sparse to open, composed of scattered Cryptantha spp., Antheropeas lanosum, Chamaesyce polycarpa, Descurainia pinnata, Eriogonum plumatella, Mirabilis laevis var. villosa, Phacelia crenulata, Penstemon palmeri, and Vulpia octoflora. Stands are found primarily in braided washes, arroyos, and drainage channels with up to 3-m high banks. Elevation ranges from 150-1350 m. Sites occur on flat to gentle slopes on variable aspects. Substrates are typically coarse-textured alluvial soils, usually sand or loam often with high cover of gravel on the surface. Soils are derived from a variety of substrates but primarily alluvium and granodiorite, and less often granite.
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: Vegetation is characterized by an open to moderately dense shrub canopy (7-48% cover) dominated or codominated by Acacia greggii with Hymenoclea salsola and Larrea tridentata being present to codominant (Evens 2000, Reid and Hall 2010, Evens et al. 2014). It is a wide-ranging type with many possible associates present. Other shrubs often present include Adenophyllum cooperi, Ambrosia dumosa, Ambrosia eriocentra, Brickellia incana, Encelia virginensis, Ephedra nevadensis, Krameria erecta, Lycium andersonii, Lycium cooperi, Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, Opuntia basilaris, Salazaria mexicana, Salvia dorrii, and Yucca schidigera (Evens 2000, Reid and Hall 2010, Evens et al. 2014). Occasional emergent Yucca brevifolia or Chilopsis linearis trees are sometimes present. If present, the herbaceous layer is typically sparse to open, composed of scattered Cryptantha spp., Antheropeas lanosum, Chamaesyce polycarpa, Descurainia pinnata, Eriogonum plumatella, Mirabilis laevis var. villosa (= Mirabilis bigelovii), Phacelia crenulata, Penstemon palmeri, and Vulpia octoflora (Evens 2000, Reid and Hall 2010, Evens et al. 2014).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands are found primarily in braided washes, arroyos, and drainage channels with up to 3-m high banks. Elevation ranges from 150-1350 m. Sites occur on flat to gentle slopes on variable aspects. Substrates are typically coarse-textured alluvial soils, usually sand or loam often with high cover of gravel on the surface. Soils are derived from a variety of substrates but primarily alluvium and granodiorite, and less often granite.
Geographic Range: This association is common in drainage channels and washes in the Mojave Desert and was sampled in Grand Canyon National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Parashant National Monument in Arizona, California and Nevada.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AZ, CA, NV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.840531
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 3 Desert & Semi-Desert Class | C03 | 3 |
| Subclass | 3.A Warm Desert & Semi-Desert Woodland, Scrub & Grassland Subclass | S06 | 3.A |
| Formation | 3.A.2 Warm Desert & Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Formation | F015 | 3.A.2 |
| Division | 3.A.2.Na North American Warm Desert Scrub & Grassland Division | D039 | 3.A.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 3.A.2.Na.7 North American Warm-Desert Xeric-Riparian Scrub Macrogroup | M092 | 3.A.2.Na.7 |
| Group | 3.A.2.Na.7.a Desert-willow - Apache Plume - Desert Almond Desert Wash & Colluvial Slope Group | G541 | 3.A.2.Na.7.a |
| Alliance | A4187 Catclaw Acacia - Desert-lavender - Beloperone Desert Wash Scrub Alliance | A4187 | 3.A.2.Na.7.a |
| Association | CEGL009522 Catclaw Acacia - Creosotebush - Burrobrush Desert Wash Shrubland | CEGL009522 | 3.A.2.Na.7.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acacia greggii - Larrea tridentata - (Hymenoclea salsola) Wash Shrubland [Park Special] (Reid and Hall 2010)
= Acacia greggii-Hymenoclea salsola Association (Evens et al. 2014)
> Acacia greggii/Hymenoclea salsola-Encelia virginensis (Arroyo/wash association) (Evens 2000)
= Acacia greggii/Hymenoclea salsola (Keeler-Wolf and Thomas 2000)
= Acacia greggii/Hymenoclea salsola (Arroyo/wash association) (Evens 2000)
< Acacia greggii Shrubland Alliance (Keeler-Wolf and Thomas 2000)
= Acacia greggii-Hymenoclea salsola Association (Evens et al. 2014)
> Acacia greggii/Hymenoclea salsola-Encelia virginensis (Arroyo/wash association) (Evens 2000)
= Acacia greggii/Hymenoclea salsola (Keeler-Wolf and Thomas 2000)
= Acacia greggii/Hymenoclea salsola (Arroyo/wash association) (Evens 2000)
< Acacia greggii Shrubland Alliance (Keeler-Wolf and Thomas 2000)
- Evens, J. M. 2000. Water course vegetation on granite and calcareous substrates in the eastern Mojave Desert, California. Master''s thesis, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.
- Evens, J. M., K. Sikes, D. Hastings, and J. Ratchford. 2014. Vegetation alliance descriptions for Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve. Unpublished report submitted to USDI National Park Service, Mojave Desert Network Inventory and Monitoring Program. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.
- Kearsley, M. J. C., K. Green, M. Tukman, M. Reid, M. Hall, T. J. Ayers, and K. Christie. 2015. Grand Canyon National Park-Grand Canyon / Parashant National Monument vegetation classification and mapping project. Natural Resource Report NPS/GRCA/NRR--2015/913. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 75 pp. plus appendices.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., and K. Thomas. 2000. Draft descriptions of vegetation alliances for the Mojave Ecosystem Mapping project. California Natural Diversity Database, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento.
- Reid, M. S., and M. E. Hall. 2010. Vegetation classification of Grand Canyon National Park. Draft report submitted to 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.