Common (Translated Scientific) Name: California Juniper - Parry Pinyon / Muller Oak Woodland Alliance

Colloquial Name: Transmontane Desert Pinyon - Juniper Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This alliance consists of scrub woodlands, generally less than 5 m in height, where Juniperus californica is dominant or codominant with Pinus monophylla, Pinus quadrifolia, and/or Yucca brevifolia. Shrubs may include Agave deserti, Artemisia tridentata, Coleogyne ramosissima, Ephedra spp., Lepidospartum squamatum, Nolina parryi, Purshia mexicana, Quercus cornelius-mulleri, Yucca schidigera, and/or Hesperoyucca whipplei. In some stands, the junipers are open-grown trees over grassy understories. In others, the junipers form a mixed canopy with other trees or shrubs. Herbaceous layer is sparse or grassy. Geographically, these woodlands are found in the transmontane desert regions of southern California in the Mojave Desert and along the edges of the Mojave in the eastern Los Angles Plain, western Riverside County, upper elevations of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County, and in northern Baja California, Mexico. Stands occur on ridges, slopes, valleys, alluvial fans, valley bottoms at elevations ranging from 600-2450 m. Soils are porous, rocky, coarse, sandy or silty, and often very shallow.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Juniperus californica dominates stands of varied species composition and structure, desert scrub or woodland vegetation. Associated with a number of Mojave species, including Agave deserti, Nolina parryi, Quercus cornelius-mulleri, Quercus john-tuckeri, Yucca brevifolia, Yucca schidigera, and Hesperoyucca whipplei.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: In Sawyer et al. (2009), there is one Juniperus californica Woodland Alliance; the concept of this USNVC alliance is based upon the portion of the Sawyer et al. (2009) alliance that is in the eastern portion in the Mojave Desert, where associated shrub and herb floristics are "Mojavean." Where Juniperus osteosperma and Juniperus californica are sympatric in distribution in the eastern portions of California''s Mojave Desert and in the southern California mountains, Juniperus californica stands exist at lower elevations. Whether Pinus quadrifolia associations should be placed in this group and alliance could use some review; the alternative is to place them in ~Great Basin Pinyon - Juniper Woodland Group (G899)$$. For now, Pinus quadrifolia is included in this group (G198) and alliance.

This woodland alliance (A3353) is hard to place. It could be moved to ~Western Madrean Chaparral Group (G281)$$ (J. Evens pers. comm. 2013) or stay with this group (T. Keeler-Wolf pers. com. 2013). Further review is needed. This comment from J. Evens (2013) is one perspective on this issue: "Juniperus californica stands should not be included in this group or alliances in this group, as it is not the same type of closed-cone pine and cypress vegetation that is found in typically infertile habitats along the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada. Juniperus is found in semi-desert environments in the Mojave Desert, inner Central Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills often associated with semi-desert shrub types. It is a semi-desert type that should be included in ~Western Madrean Chaparral Group (G281)$$ or some other semi-desert group."

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available