Print Report

A2672 Dendromecon rigida - Diplacus aurantiacus - Eriodictyon californicum Scrub Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This shrubland alliance is dominated by Dendromecon rigida, Diplacus aurantiacus, and Eriodictyon californicum. These are relatively short-lived stands that colonize disturbed steep unstable slopes and post-fire sites. It occurs in California throughout the Coast Ranges, the Klamath Mountains foothills, the Sierra Nevada foothills, and southward into northern Baja California, Mexico.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Tree Poppy - Orange Bush-monkeyflower - California Yerba Santa Scrub Alliance

Colloquial Name: Tree Poppy - Orange Bush-monkeyflower - California Yerba Santa Scrub

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This shrubland alliance is dominated by Dendromecon rigida, Diplacus aurantiacus, Eriodictyon californicum, and other Eriodictyon species. These are relatively short-lived evergreen shrubs that colonize regularly disturbed, steep unstable slopes, such as road cuts, and post-fire sites. Stands can vary from open patches to dense thickets, and occur on rocky thin mineral soils. Some stands can be long-persisting where a seedbank is re-supplied and scarified with colluvial disturbance. Stands can appear in recently burned patches of chaparral and coastal scrub. This alliance occurs in central and southern California, the Sierra Nevada foothills, Klamath Mountains foothills, and northern Coast Ranges of California southward to northern Baja California, Mexico.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Dendromecon rigida, Diplacus aurantiacus, Eriodictyon californicum, Eriodictyon crassifolium, or Eriodictyon trichocalyx is dominant as evergreen shrub species that occur in post-fire, colluvial slope, and dry alluvial terrace settings.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This alliance includes a mixture of taller-height evergreen, seral scrub species, while separate alliances with the characteristic species have been previously defined by Sawyer et al. (2009), Buck-Diaz and Evens (2011a), 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: The shrub layer is characterized by Dendromecon rigida, Diplacus aurantiacus, Eriodictyon californicum, and other Eriodictyon species. Other species may include Artemisia californica, Malosma laurina, Salvia leucophylla, Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea (= Sambucus mexicana), and Toxicodendron diversilobum. An open emergent tree layer may occur with Juglans californica and Quercus agrifolia at low cover. The herbaceous layer is simple and often includes Leymus condensatus. Other herbs may include Bromus madritensis, Centaurea melitensis, Hirschfeldia incana, and Melica imperfecta.

Species of Interest: Diplacus parviflorus (= Mimulus aurantiacus var. parviflorus) (CRPR 4.3) is the dominant plant of stands on Santa Rosa Island. Often present is Quercus pacifica (CRPR 4.2) and sometimes Lotus dendroideus var. dendroideus (= Acmispon dendroideus var. dendroideus) (CRPR 4.2), Dudleya greenei (CRPR 4.2), Eriogonum grande var. grande (CRPR 4.2), and Galium nuttallii ssp. insulare (CRPR 4.3). All of the following species tracked by the CNPS Rare Plant Inventory (2015) occur at less than 20% constancy in samples of this alliance: Baccharis plummerae ssp. plummerae (CRPR 4.3), Ceanothus megacarpus var. insularis (CRPR 4.3), Cercocarpus montanus var. blancheae (= Cercocarpus betuloides var. blancheae) (CRPR 4.3), Chorizanthe wheeleri (CRPR 4.3), Dudleya candelabrum (CRPR 1B.2), Eriogonum grande var. rubescens (CRPR 1B.2), Quercus tomentella (CRPR 4.2), Rhamnus pirifolia (CRPR 4.2), Solanum clokeyi (CRPR 4.2), and Achnatherum diegoense (= Stipa diegoensis) (CRPR 4.2).

Dynamics:  Stands of these shrubs can be initiated in recently burned patches of chaparral and coastal scrub. Diplacus aurantiacus is an early colonizer of disturbed sites and persists in areas with repeated disturbance, including steep slopes with natural ground disturbance such as rockslides (Keeler-Wolf and Evens 2006) and road cuts.
Environmental Description:  This shrubland alliance occurs on somewhat steep to steep northeast- and northwest-facing slopes at low elevations between 43 and 571 m. Slopes are often unstable, or recently burned, or a product of recent land- or rockslides.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in central and southern California, northward into the Sierra Nevada foothills, Klamath Mountains foothills and northern Coast Ranges, and southward into northern Baja California.

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 A2672 Tree Poppy - Orange Bush-monkeyflower - California Yerba Santa Scrub Alliance A2672 2.B.1.Na.2.a
Association CEGL003705 Orange Bush-monkeyflower Shrubland CEGL003705 2.B.1.Na.2.a
Concept Lineage: A.2672

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Dendromecon rigida (Bush poppy scrub) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [37.750.00]
> Dendromecon rigida Shrubland Alliance (Keeler-Wolf and Evens 2006)
> Diplacus aurantiacus (Bush monkeyflower scrub) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [32.082.00]
> Eriodictyon californicum (California yerba santa scrub) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [37.080.00]
> Eriodictyon californicum Alliance (California yerba santa scrub) (Buck-Diaz et al. 2012)
> Eriodictyon crassifolium (Thick leaf yerba santa scrub) Provisional Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [37.090.00]
> Mimulus aurantiacus Alliance (Bush monkeyflower scrub) (Buck-Diaz et al. 2012)
> Mimulus aurantiacus Shrubland Alliance (Rodriguez et al. 2017)
Concept Author(s): M.S. Reid, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2014)

Author of Description: M.S. Reid

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

Version Date: 12-18-14
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