Print Report
A3790 Arctostaphylos pungens - Arctostaphylos pringlei - Ceanothus greggii Chaparral Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance includes evergreen shrublands dominated or codominated by Arctostaphylos pungens, Arctostaphylos pringlei, Ceanothus greggii, and Mortonia utahensis. This chaparral occurs from Nevada to New Mexico on dry mountain slopes ranging from 980-2470 m elevation depending on aspect.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Pointleaf Manzanita - Pringle''s Manzanita - Desert Ceanothus Chaparral Alliance
Colloquial Name: Manzanita - Ceanothus Chaparral
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: Stands of this alliance have a moderately dense canopy dominated or codominated by the sclerophyllous evergreen shrubs Arctostaphylos pungens, Arctostaphylos pringlei, Ceanothus greggii, Mortonia scabrella, or Mortonia utahensis. Other characteristic shrubs include Amelanchier utahensis, Cercocarpus montanus var. paucidentatus, Dasylirion wheeleri, Ephedra viridis, Garrya flavescens, Mahonia fremontii, and Robinia neomexicana. Scattered oaks such as Quercus arizonica, Quercus pungens, or Quercus turbinella may be present, but not codominant. Herbaceous cover is typically low (<15% cover). Common grasses include Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua eriopoda, and Muhlenbergia emersleyi. Frequent forbs include Astrolepis sinuata, Bahia absinthifolia, and Macroptilium gibbosifolium. This alliance occurs in southeastern Nevada, southwestern Utah, Arizona, and southwestern New Mexico. This chaparral occurs on dry mountain slopes ranging from 980-2470 m elevation depending on aspect. The climate is arid to semi-arid with temperatures rarely falling below freezing. Annual precipitation has a bimodal distribution with about a third to two-thirds of the highly variable annual precipitation occurring in July through September during the late summer monsoon, and most of the rest falling during the winter months. Mean annual precipitation is approximately 40 cm. Soils are gravelly with rocks. Parent material includes limestone, rhyolite, granite and quartzite. Adjacent vegetation includes desert grasslands dominated by Elionurus barbiculmis, Heteropogon contortus, and Bouteloua spp. at lower elevations and desert scrub stands dominated by Acacia neovernicosa or Parthenium incanum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This alliance is characterized by dominance of Arctostaphylos pungens, Arctostaphylos pringlei, Ceanothus greggii, Mortonia scabrella, or Mortonia utahensis in the shrub canopy. Oaks such as Quercus turbinella are absent or have relatively low cover (i.e., not codominant). Herbaceous cover is typically low (<15% cover).
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Alliances are based in part by fire adaptations of dominant species. For example Arctostaphylos pungens, Arctostaphylos pringlei, and Ceanothus greggii primarily reproduce from seeds that require heat scarification to germinate in contrast to Quercus turbinella which strongly sprouts after being burned so it becomes the predominant species over obligate with repeated fires or fire suppression. Mortonia sempervirens and Mortonia utahensis occur on rocky slopes that rarely burn. Stands describe by Carmichael et al. (1978) in Arizona need to be included in the range of this alliance.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Vegetation included in this alliance has a moderately dense to dense cover dominated by sclerophyllous and microphyllous, evergreen broad-leaved shrubs ranging from 0.5-3 m tall. Scattered needle-leaved and broad-leaved evergreen trees, 2-5 m tall, are often present. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse and dominated by perennial graminoids, with annual forbs and grasses present seasonally.
Floristics: Stands have a moderately dense canopy dominated or codominated by the sclerophyllous evergreen shrubs Arctostaphylos pungens, Arctostaphylos pringlei, Ceanothus greggii, Mortonia scabrella, or Mortonia utahensis. Other characteristic shrubs include Amelanchier utahensis, Cercocarpus montanus var. paucidentatus, Dasylirion wheeleri, Ephedra viridis, Garrya flavescens, Mahonia fremontii (= Berberis fremontii), Nolina microcarpa, Rhus virens var. choriophylla, and Robinia neomexicana. Scattered oaks such as Quercus arizonica, Quercus pungens, or Quercus turbinella may be present, but not codominant. Herbaceous cover is typically low (<15% cover). Common grasses include Achnatherum eminens (= Stipa eminens), Aristida purpurea var. nealleyi (= Aristida glauca), Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua eriopoda, Muhlenbergia emersleyi, and Tridens muticus. Frequent forbs include Astrolepis sinuata, Bahia absinthifolia, Calochortus flexuosus, Castilleja sp., Delphinium parishii, Eriogonum wrightii, Lomatium foeniculaceum ssp. macdougalii, and Macroptilium gibbosifolium.
Dynamics: Arctostaphylos pungens is a fire-adapted species that reproduces prolifically from heat-scarified seeds after fires (Carmichael et al. 1978). Armstrong (1969) considers these shrublands a fire disclimax. Prior to a fire, the Arctostaphylos pungens shrubland he described was a Pinus monophylla / Juniperus osteosperma woodland because of the numerous stumps present. He believed the lack of tree regeneration was caused by the low rainfall and re-occurring fires. Bourgeron et al. (1993b) suggest that this a seral phase of Pinus discolor / Quercus hypoleucoides woodland.
Environmental Description: Shrublands included in this alliance occur in foothill to montane elevations from southeastern Nevada across southern Utah, Arizona and southeastern New Mexico often growing on cooler north- and east-facing slopes. Elevation ranges from 1050-2300 m depending on aspect. Climate is generally semi-arid with warm summers and cool winters. Annual precipitation has a bimodal distribution with a third to two-thirds of the approximately 40 cm mean annual precipitation falling during the summer and early fall. The winter precipitation has high year-to-year variation. Soils are gravelly with rocks. Parent material includes limestone, rhyolite, granite and quartzite.
Geographic Range: Shrublands included in this alliance occur on mountain slopes and high plateaus from the Virgin Mountains in southeastern Nevada, across the Colorado Plateau in Utah south along the Mogollon Rim and the Sky Island ranges of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It likely occurs in adjacent Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico.
Nations: MX?,US
States/Provinces: AZ, CA, MXCHH?, MXSON?, NM, NV, UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899842
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Ng Western North American Interior Chaparral Division | D061 | 2.B.2.Ng |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Ng.2 Sonoran Scrub Oak - Pointleaf Manzanita - Desert Ceanothus Warm Interior Chaparral Macrogroup | M091 | 2.B.2.Ng.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Ng.2.b Sonoran Scrub Oak - Desert Ceanothus - Mexican Manzanita Chaparral Group | G281 | 2.B.2.Ng.2.b |
| Alliance | A3790 Pointleaf Manzanita - Pringle''s Manzanita - Desert Ceanothus Chaparral Alliance | A3790 | 2.B.2.Ng.2.b |
| Association | CEGL000958 Pointleaf Manzanita Shrubland | CEGL000958 | 2.B.2.Ng.2.b |
Concept Lineage: A.789 and A.859. This alliance includes one association each in Old Alliance III.A.2.N.c. Arctostaphylos pungens Shrubland Alliance (A.789) and Old Alliance III.A.5.N.a. Mortonia (sempervirens, utahensis) Shrubland Alliance (A.859).
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Ceanothus greggii (Cup leaf ceanothus chaparral) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [37.212.00]
> Ceanothus greggii Shrubland Alliance (Evens et al. 2014)
? Chihuahuan Desertscrub, mesic phase (Wentworth 1982)
>< Pointleaf Manzanita Plant Association (Carmichael et al. 1978)
> Ceanothus greggii Shrubland Alliance (Evens et al. 2014)
? Chihuahuan Desertscrub, mesic phase (Wentworth 1982)
>< Pointleaf Manzanita Plant Association (Carmichael et al. 1978)
- Armstrong, J. D. 1969. Vegetation of the Virgin Mountains, Clark County, Nevada. Unpublished thesis, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 104 pp.
- Bourgeron, P. S., L. D. Engelking, H. C. Humphries, E. Muldavin, and W. H. Moir. 1993b. Assessing the conservation value of the Gray Ranch: Rarity, diversity and representativeness. Unpublished report prepared for The Nature Conservancy by the Western Heritage Task Force, Boulder, CO. (Volume I and II).
- Carmichael, R. S., O. D. Knipe, C. P. Pase, and W. W. Brady. 1978. Arizona chaparral: Plant associations and ecology. Research Paper RM-202. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 16 pp.
- 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.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, M. Hall, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, L. Sneddon, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2013-2019b. Screening alliances for induction into the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Part 1 - Alliance concept review. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., C. Roye, and K. Lewis. 1998a. Vegetation mapping and classification of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California. Unpublished report on file at California Natural Diversity Database, California Department Fish and Game, Sacramento.
- Sawyer, J. O., T. Keeler-Wolf, and J. Evens. 2009. A manual of California vegetation. Second edition. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento CA. 1300 pp.
- VegCAMP and AIS [Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program and Aerial Information Systems, Inc.]. 2013. 2012 California desert vegetation map and accuracy assessment in support of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Unpublished report to California Department of Fish and Wildlife Renewable Energy Program and the California Energy Commission. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program and Aerial Information Systems, Inc.
- Wentworth, T. R. 1982. Vegetation and flora of the Mule Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 17:29-44.