Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Crested Wheatgrass - Cheatgrass Ruderal Grassland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This herbaceous plant community is characterized by an abundance of introduced grass species. The vegetation is dominated by Agropyron cristatum, a perennial bunchgrass, Bromus tectorum, an annual grass, or a combination of both species. Bromus tectorum may occasionally be replaced by another introduced annual Bromus species. This association often occurs on or near sites that have been disturbed. Total vegetation cover ranges from 10 to 70%, generally with less than half from native species. Native species persist in some stands; however, cover and diversity are typically low, and component native species can be quite variable depending on the plant community that was present prior to the conversion to introduced grasses. Native shrubs may occur sporadically with low densities. Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus is the most constant native shrub in this association while Poa secunda is the most frequently occurring and abundant native grass. Several native perennial and annual forb species may also be sparse and variable across stands of this type. Non-native forb species are common, but again, species composition is variable. This association can occur across a wide range of environmental conditions in semi-arid ecosystems and is not tightly constrained by slope, aspect, soil texture, or soil depth.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Agropyron cristatum has been planted into pastures and rangelands to improve forage production and is well suited to the cold, semi-arid conditions of the Great Basin, northwestern Great Plains and higher elevation rangeland in more southern latitudes, facilitating its persistence and occasional spread. Stands can occur in a wide variety of human-disturbed habitats, including highway rights-of-way, revegetation projects, etc. The unique life history characteristics of Bromus tectorum and the altered ecological process associated with this species have promoted the spread of it and other exotic annual bromes at the expense of sagebrush shrublands in large parts of the western U.S. Consequently, these species tend to codominate primarily on sites that have been severely impacted.

This plant community description is based on data from Craters of the Moon (Bell et al. 2009) and on related plant communities that have been previously described. The description provided herein may vary slightly from similar plant communities found elsewhere due to the local scale at which data were collected. Additional global information will be added as it becomes available.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available