Print Report

A3886 Lotus scoparius - Lupinus albifrons Scrub Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This alliance covers shrublands dominated by Lotus scoparius and/or Lupinus albifrons. Stands colonize regularly disturbed, steep and unstable slopes with rocky surfaces with little soil development, including road cuts and active alluvium. They are also known to be longer lived on rock outcrops. They occur in the central Sierra Nevada foothills, the central Coast Ranges and on the Channel Islands.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Common Deerweed - Silver Lupine Scrub Alliance

Colloquial Name: Common Deerweed - Silver Lupine Scrub

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This alliance covers shrublands dominated by Lotus scoparius and/or Lupinus albifrons. Other shrubs that may be equally important in the canopy include Adenostoma fasciculatum, Artemisia californica, Ephedra californica, Ericameria linearifolia, Eriodictyon californicum, Eriogonum fasciculatum, Hazardia squarrosa, Malacothamnus densiflorus, Prunus fremontii, Rhus ovata, Ribes quercetorum, and Salvia apiana. The herbaceous layer is diverse and often includes abundant non-native species. It has a variety of weakly distinguishable phases that reflects the original pre-fire vegetation. In general, the phases reflect either a chaparral (e.g., Adenostoma fasciculatum) pre-fire setting or a coastal sage (e.g., Artemisia californica) pre-fire setting. Stands colonize regularly disturbed, steep and unstable slopes with rocky surfaces with little soil development, including road cuts and active alluvium, as well as recently burned patches of chaparral and coastal scrub. The dominant shrubs fix nitrogen, adding an important nutrient to soils after fire. They are also known to be longer lived on rock outcrops. Surfaces include limestone, alluvial and sandy substrates. They occur in the central Sierra Nevada foothills, the central Coast Ranges and on the Channel Islands.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Shrublands dominated by Lotus scoparius and/or Lupinus albifrons.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This alliance includes a mixture of seral scrub species, while separate alliances with the characteristic species have been previously defined by Sawyer et al. (2009), Buck-Diaz and Evens (2011a, 2011b), Buck-Diaz et al. (2012), and VegCAMP and AIS (2013).

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: Lotus scoparius and/or Lupinus albifrons are dominant with intermittent to clumpy shrub cover (15-35% cover). Total vegetative cover is generally low (8-75%, a mean of 32%). Other shrubs that may be equally important in the canopy include Adenostoma fasciculatum, Artemisia californica, Ephedra californica, Ericameria linearifolia, Eriodictyon californicum, Eriogonum fasciculatum, Hazardia squarrosa, Malacothamnus densiflorus, Prunus fremontii, Rhus ovata, Ribes quercetorum, and Salvia apiana. The herbaceous layer is diverse and often includes non-native species, such as Bromus rubens (= Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens), Centaurea melitensis, and Erodium spp., and native species, such as Artemisia dracunculus and Croton californicus. The understory herbaceous layer may also include Aira caryophyllea, Avena barbata, Bromus arenarius, Bromus hordeaceus, Chaenactis glabriuscula, Cuscuta californica, Eriogonum elegans, Hirschfeldia incana, Lupinus bicolor, Nemacladus gracilis, Silene gallica, Trifolium microcephalum, Trifolium willdenovii, and Vulpia myuros.

Species of Interest: Astragalus miguelensis (CRPR 4.3) and Malacothrix incana (CRPR 4.3) are sometimes present 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. veatchii (= Acmispon dendroideus var. veatchii) (CRPR 4.3), Castilleja lanata ssp. hololeuca (= Castilleja hololeuca) (CRPR 1B.2), Dudleya greenei (CRPR 4.2), Eriogonum grande var. rubescens (CRPR 1B.2), Erysimum ammophilum (CRPR 1B.2), Erysimum insulare (CRPR 1B.3), Galium californicum ssp. miguelense (CRPR 4.2), Gilia tenuiflora ssp. hoffmannii (FE, CRPR 1B.1), and Diplacus parviflorus (= Mimulus aurantiacus var. parviflorus) (CRPR 4.3).

Dynamics:  Lupinus albifrons is relatively short-lived and tends to colonize regularly disturbed, steep and unstable slopes. Lotus scoparius is an early colonizer of disturbed sites throughout much of central and southern California. It dominates recently burned patches of chaparral and coastal scrub.
Environmental Description:  Stands occur on somewhat steep slopes to flat areas (0-33°). Elevations range from 25 to 1043 m (84-3422 feet). Aspects are variable but more often southeast or southwest. Stands are often located on flat, occasionally convex or undulating, sometimes lower to middle slopes. Soils are more often medium to very fine loamy sand, occasionally coarse loamy sand, medium loam, or fine sandy clay loam. Stands colonize regularly disturbed, steep and unstable slopes with rocky surfaces with little soil development, including road cuts and active alluvium, as well as recently burned patches of chaparral and coastal scrub. The dominant shrubs fix nitrogen, adding an important nutrient to soils after fire. They are also known to be longer lived on rock outcrops. Surfaces include limestone, alluvial and sandy substrates.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the central and southern California Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills, south to Baja California, Mexico.

Nations: MX,US

States/Provinces:  CA, MXBCN


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.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.2 Coastal Sagebrush - Black Sage - Coyotebrush Coastal Scrub Macrogroup M044 2.B.1.Na.2
Group 2.B.1.Na.2.a Common Deerweed - Yerba Santa species - Silver Lupine Coastal-Foothill Seral Scrub Group G782 2.B.1.Na.2.a
Alliance A3886 Common Deerweed - Silver Lupine Scrub Alliance A3886 2.B.1.Na.2.a
Association CEGL005304 Common Deerweed Shrubland CEGL005304 2.B.1.Na.2.a
Association CEGL005815 Silver Lupine Sierran Shrubland CEGL005815 2.B.1.Na.2.a
Concept Lineage: includes A.2678, A.2601

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acmispon glaber - Lupinus albifrons Shrubland Alliance (Rodriguez et al. 2017)
> Lotus scoparius (Deer weed scrub) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [52.240.00]
> Lotus scoparius Alliance (Deer weed scrub) (Buck-Diaz et al. 2012)
> Lupinus albifrons Alliance (Buck-Diaz and Evens 2011b)
> Lupinus albifrons (Silver bush lupine scrub) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [32.081.00]
> Lupinus albifrons Alliance (Silver bush lupine scrub) (Buck-Diaz et al. 2012)
Concept Author(s): M.S. Reid, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2013)

Author of Description: M.S. Reid

Acknowledgements: We have incorporated significant descriptive information previously compiled by J. Evens.

Version Date: 12-18-14
  • Buck-Diaz, J., S. Batiuk, and J. M. Evens. 2012. Vegetation alliances and associations of the Great Valley ecoregion, California. California Native Society, Sacramento, CA. [http://cnps.org/cnps/vegetation/pdf/great_valley_eco-vegclass2012.pdf]
  • Buck-Diaz, J., and J. Evens. 2011b. Carrizo Plain National Monument vegetation classification and mapping project. Report to USDI, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Game, and The Nature Conservancy. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.
  • Buck-Diaz, J., and J. M. Evens. 2011a. Alluvial scrub vegetation of southern California, a focus on the Santa Ana River watershed in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, California. Unpublished report to Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District. California Native Society, Sacramento, CA.
  • Evens, J., and S. San. 2006. Vegetation alliances of the San Dieguito River Park region, San Diego County, California. Final report (August 2005) Version 2 (revised May 2006). Prepared by California Native Plant Society in cooperation with the California Natural Heritage Program of the California Department of Fish and Game and San Diego Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Sacramento, CA. 271 pp.
  • 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.
  • HDR. 2014. Vegetation classification and mapping, Naval Base Ventura County, San Nicolas Island, California. Unpublished report prepared by HDR for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, CA.
  • Johnson, L., and D. Rodriguez. 2001. Terrestrial vegetation monitoring, Channel Islands National Park 1996-2000 report. Technical Report 01-06. National Park Service, Channel Islands National Park, Ventura, CA.
  • Junak, S., D. A. Knapp, J. R. Haller, R. Philbrick, A. Schoenherr and T. Keeler-Wolf. 2007. The Channel Islands. Chapter 9 in: M. G. Barbour, T. Keeler-Wolf and A. A. Schoenherr, editors. Terrestrial vegetation of California, third edition. University of California Press, Berkeley.
  • Keeler-Wolf, T., and J. Evens. 2006. Vegetation classification of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and environs in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, California. A report submitted to National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area by California Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch and The California Native Plant Society, Vegetation Program, Sacramento, CA.
  • Rodriguez, D., K. G. Sikes, T. Keeler-Wolf, G. Kittel, J. Curtis, C. Curley, and J. Evens. 2017. Vegetation classification of Channel Islands National Park. Report to the National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
  • 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.
  • Sproul, F., T. Keeler-Wolf, P. Gordon-Reedy, J. Dunn, A. Klein, and K. Harper. 2011. Vegetation classification manual for western San Diego County. AECOM, California Department of Fish and Game, San Diego Area Governments.
  • Stout, D., J. Buck-Diaz, S. Taylor, and J. M. Evens. 2013. Vegetation mapping and accuracy assessment report for Carrizo Plain National Monument. California Native Plant Society, Vegetation Program, Sacramento, CA. 71 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.