Print Report

A1289 Nassella pulchra Grassland Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This is a perennial grassland alliance with Nassella pulchra dominant or characteristically present with other perennial grasses. This once-extensive bunchgrass alliance occurs from California south into Baja California, Mexico. Habitats are valley and foothill locations on all topographic locations with deep inland soils with high clay content, or shallow and rocky soils near the coast.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Purple Needlegrass Grassland Alliance

Colloquial Name: Purple Needlegrass Grassland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This is a perennial grassland with Nassella pulchra dominant or characteristically present with other perennial grasses such as Elymus glaucus, Festuca californica, Hordeum brachyantherum, Koeleria macrantha, Melica californica, Melica imperfecta, Nassella cernua, Nassella lepida, and Poa secunda and with perennial forbs, such as Calochortus spp., Calystegia spp., Sanicula spp., and Sisyrinchium bellum. Many exotic species also co-occur. Emergent trees and shrubs may be present. Plant cover tends to be open. This once-extensive bunchgrass alliance grows from California''s valleys and foothills south into Baja California, Mexico. Habitats are valley and foothill locations on all topographic locations. Inland soils are deep with high clay content, or shallow and rocky near the coast. Stands can occur on all topographic positions, but due to climatic factors, they do not occur over 1300 m of elevation. The native California bunchgrasses are adapted to a Mediterranean climate with moist, cool winters and long, dry summers. Precipitation varies from 25-70 cm per year, and falls mostly between November and April. Nassella pulchra stands commonly grow in deep and clay-rich soils, but they also occur on sterile serpentine soils, or in shallow soils of coastal hills in central and southern California. Nassella pulchra is more cold- and drought-tolerant than many introduced annual grasses.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This alliance is based on the Sawyer et al. (2009) alliance of the same name, and much of the material is drawn from their description. Nassella cernua sometimes occurs in the same area as this species, especially in southern California, but they do not typically mix.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This medium-tall, temperate or subpolar, bunch grassland forms an open canopy less than 1 m in height. Emergent trees and shrubs may be present.

Floristics: This California and Baja California native bunchgrass alliance is dominated by Nassella pulchra. Other graminoids present may include Elymus glaucus, Festuca californica, Melica californica, Nassella lepida, Nassella cernua, Melica imperfecta, Koeleria macrantha, and Poa secunda. Many exotic annuals, such as Avena barbata, Avena fatua, Bromus diandrus, Bromus madritensis, Bromus hordeaceus, and Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum (= Lolium multiflorum), have invaded stands of this alliance. Emergent trees and shrubs may be present. Plant cover tends to be open.

Species of Interest: Achnatherum diegoense (= Stipa diegoensis) (CRPR 4.2) is occasionally the characteristic grass in this alliance. All of the following species tracked by the CNPS Rare Plant Inventory (2015) occur at less than 20% constancy in samples of this alliance: Lotus dendroideus var. dendroideus (= Acmispon dendroideus var. dendroideus) (CRPR 4.2), Arctostaphylos confertiflora (FE, CRPR 1B.2), Atriplex coulteri (CRPR 1B.2), Calochortus catalinae (CRPR 4.2), Helianthemum greenei (= Crocanthemum greenei) (FT, CRPR 1B.2), Dichondra occidentalis (CRPR 4.2), Dudleya candelabrum (CRPR 1B.2), Dudleya greenei (CRPR 4.2), Eriogonum grande var. grande (CRPR 4.2), Eriogonum grande var. rubescens (CRPR 1B.2), Galium nuttallii ssp. insulare (CRPR 4.3), Hazardia detonsa (CRPR 4.3), Hordeum intercedens (CRPR 3.2), Jepsonia malvifolia (CRPR 4.2), Diplacus parviflorus (= Mimulus aurantiacus var. parviflorus) (CRPR 4.3), Pinus torreyana ssp. insularis (CRPR 1B.2), Quercus pacifica (CRPR 4.2), and Sanicula hoffmannii (CRPR 4.3).

Dynamics:  Grazing and fire are important in maintaining these grassland communities, though uncertainty still exists concerning the optimum grazing type and intensity. Reduction in fire frequency has favored introduced annual grasses over native perennial bunchgrasses.
Environmental Description:  This once-extensive bunchgrass alliance of California''s valleys and foothills grows on deep soils with a high clay content. Stands can occur on all topographic positions, but due to climatic factors, they do not occur over 1300 m elevation. Stands now typically include many exotic annual grasses. The native California bunchgrasses are adapted to a Mediterranean climate with moist, cool winters and long, dry summers. Precipitation varies from 25-70 cm per year, and falls mostly between November and April. Nassella pulchra stands commonly grow in deep and clay-rich soils, but they also occur on sterile serpentine soils (McNaughton 1968, Hamilton 1997, Gelbard and Harrison 2003, Evens and San 2004, Harrison et al. 2006), or in shallow soils of coastal hills in central and southern California. Nassella pulchra is more cold- and drought-tolerant than many introduced, annual grasses.
Geographic Range: This alliance occurs in northern, central, and southern California, the western Mojave, and into Baja California, Mexico.

Nations: MX,US

States/Provinces:  CA, MXBCN


Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4

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.1 Mediterranean Scrub & Grassland Formation F038 2.B.1
Division 2.B.1.Na Californian Scrub & Grassland Division D327 2.B.1.Na
Macrogroup 2.B.1.Na.3 Purple Needlegrass - Harvest Brodiaea - Rusty Popcorn-flower Native Grassland Macrogroup M045 2.B.1.Na.3
Group 2.B.1.Na.3.b Purple Needlegrass - California Melicgrass - Giant Wildrye Grassland Group G496 2.B.1.Na.3.b
Alliance A1289 Purple Needlegrass Grassland Alliance A1289 2.B.1.Na.3.b
Association CEGL003111 Purple Needlegrass Grassland CEGL003111 2.B.1.Na.3.b
Association CEGL003464 Purple Needlegrass - Coyotebrush Grassland CEGL003464 2.B.1.Na.3.b
Concept Lineage: A.1289

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Nassella pulchra (Purple needle grass grassland) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [41.150.00]
= Nassella pulchra Alliance (Purple needle grass grassland) (Buck-Diaz et al. 2012)
= Nassella pulchra Herbaceous Alliance (CNPS 2017) [41.150.00]
= Nassella spp. - Melica spp. Provisional Alliance (Klein et al. 2015)
< Stipa spp. - Melica spp. Grassland Alliance (Rodriguez et al. 2017)
= Purple needlegrass series (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995)
>< Valley Needlegrass Grassland (#42110) (Holland 1986b)
Concept Author(s): M. Schindel, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2013)

Author of Description: M.S. Reid

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 12-18-14
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