Print Report
A3769 Salix boothii - Salix geyeriana - Salix lutea Montane Wet Shrubland Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance contains tall (>1.5 m) Salix-dominated shrublands in riparian and wetland settings. It is dominated by single or multiple Salix species, including Salix bebbiana, Salix boothii, Salix drummondiana, Salix eriocephala, Salix geyeriana, Salix ligulifolia, Salix lucida ssp. caudata, Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra, Salix lutea, Salix planifolia, and Salix prolixa. These shrub species occur in the same broad geographic region, spreading from eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Booth''s Willow - Geyer''s Willow - Yellow Willow Montane Wet Shrubland Alliance
Colloquial Name: Western Montane Tall Willow Wet Shrubland
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance contains tall (>1.5 m) Salix-dominated shrublands in riparian and wetland settings. It is dominated by single or multiple Salix species including Salix bebbiana, Salix boothii, Salix drummondiana, Salix eriocephala, Salix geyeriana, Salix ligulifolia, Salix lucida ssp. caudata, Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra, Salix lutea, Salix planifolia, and Salix prolixa. Salix monticola may also be present but is not a dominant species. These shrub species occur in the same broad geographic region, spreading from eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona. Understories range from thick graminoids or forbs to very sparse cover depending on the degree of overstory shading. Common dominant graminoid species include Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Carex utriculata, Carex nebrascensis, and Deschampsia cespitosa. Forb species are often mixed. These are generally subirrigated soils that are mineral with some degree of organic layers, but not deep peat soils.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Dominance or codominance (>5% relative cover) of one or more of the following tall Salix species: Salix bebbiana, Salix boothii, Salix drummondiana, Salix eriocephala, Salix geyeriana, Salix ligulifolia, Salix lucida ssp. caudata, Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra, Salix lutea, Salix planifolia, and Salix prolixa.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This covers the tall willow shrublands in the heart of the Intermountain West and Rocky Mountains within the U.S. Some of the associations include stands on mineral soils and stands on peat soils, and these will need to be separated into organic and non-organic soil counterparts. Many of these species are codominant in varying combinations, making single-Salix species alliances problematic. Stands with codominance of Salix monticola belong to ~Salix monticola Wet Shrubland Alliance (A0981)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This alliance is dominated by tall (1-4 m) broad-leaved deciduous shrublands. It is characterized by a dense to open canopy. The herbaceous layer can be dominated by graminoids or forbs and is often a mix.
Floristics: The tall-shrub layer is dominated by large stands of one or several willow species, including Salix bebbiana, Salix boothii, Salix drummondiana, Salix eriocephala, Salix geyeriana, Salix ligulifolia, Salix lucida ssp. caudata, Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra, Salix lutea, Salix planifolia, and Salix prolixa. Salix monticola may also be present but not dominant. Other shorter shrub species include Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides fruticosa), Lonicera utahensis, and Ribes spp. The herbaceous layer is characterized by a moderate forb layer or dense graminoids. When forbs dominate the herbaceous layer, rarely is one forb species dominant, but rather several species form a combined cover. Forb species include Achillea millefolium, Epilobium ciliatum, Galium trifidum, Geum macrophyllum, Heracleum maximum (= Heracleum lanatum), Pedicularis groenlandica, Polygonum bistortoides, Pyrola asarifolia, and Swertia perennis. Graminoids, when dominant, can be only one or two species and include Carex aquatilis, Carex utriculata, Carex microptera, Calamagrostis canadensis, Calamagrostis stricta, and Poa palustris.
Dynamics: Stands within this alliance are generally highly productive. Understory production varies, depending on the density of overstory shrubs. Characteristics of the herbaceous layer and soils suggest that many of the vegetation types within this alliance are stable (Youngblood et al. 1985b). However, livestock or wildlife grazing pressure will cause a decrease in the native graminoids (Hansen et al. 1995), and an opening of the overstory canopy, especially if browsing pressure is heavy. Beavers can increase the amount of surface water and decrease willow density.
Environmental Description: Vegetation types in this alliance occur in valley bottoms on swales, banks, and occasionally terraces of stream channels, areas which may have surface water in wet years. The ground surface is often uneven and hummocky. Soils are typically highly stratified with alternating layers of sandy loam and clay loam and are mottled within the top 10 cm. Other soils are finely textured, dark-colored, highly organic soils with silty clay loam. Lower profiles typically contain a gravel or cobble layer which may indicate that the soil section is a silted-in beaver pond (Kittel et al. 1999b).
Geographic Range: Montane elevations in eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: AB, AZ, BC, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899821
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Salix spp. Series (Johnston 1987)
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