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CEGL005738 Acacia greggii - Prunus fasciculata Desert Wash Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Catclaw Acacia - Desert Almond Desert Wash Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This desert scrub association is found at mid to upper elevations in the Mojave Desert in California. It is characterized by an open to moderately dense shrub canopy (6-45% cover) codominated by Acacia greggii and Prunus fasciculata. Additional shrubs are often present. Occasional emergent Yucca brevifolia or Chilopsis linearis trees are sometimes present with <3% cover. If present, the herbaceous layer is variable, ranging up to 23% cover. Commonly associated native grasses and forbs include Achnatherum speciosum, Mirabilis laevis, and Sphaeralcea ambigua, and exotic annuals include Bromus rubens and Erodium cicutarium. Stand are found primarily in canyons, arroyos, and drainage channels at 700-1600 m elevation. Sites are gentle to steep slopes on primarily southerly aspects. Substrates are typically coarse-textured soils, usually coarse to fine sand (rarely with fine-textured soils), and often with cobbles and gravel on the surface. Soils are variable, ranging from sands to clay loams and derived from a variety of substrates.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Vegetation is characterized by an open to moderately dense shrub canopy (6-45% cover) codominated by Acacia greggii and Prunus fasciculata (Evens 2000, Keeler-Wolf et al. 2005, Evens et al. 2012, 2014). Other shrubs often present include Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, Cylindropuntia echinocarpa, Encelia virginensis, Ephedra viridis, Eriogonum fasciculatum, Gutierrezia microcephala, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Hymenoclea salsola, Keckiella antirrhinoides, Lotus rigidus, Phoradendron californicum, Salazaria mexicana, Salvia mohavensis, Simmondsia chinensis, Thamnosma montana, Viguiera parishii, and Yucca schidigera (Evens 2000, Keeler-Wolf et al. 2005, Evens et al. 2012, 2014). Occasional emergent Yucca brevifolia or Chilopsis linearis trees are sometimes present with <3% cover. If present, the herbaceous layer is variable, ranging up to 23% cover. Commonly associated native grasses and forbs include Achnatherum speciosum, Artemisia ludoviciana, Euphorbia schizoloba (= Euphorbia incisa), Mirabilis laevis, and Sphaeralcea ambigua, Stephanomeria pauciflora, and exotic annuals include Bromus rubens, Bromus madritensis and Erodium cicutarium (Evens 2000, Keeler-Wolf et al. 2005, Evens et al. 2012, 2014).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This desert scrub association is found at mid to upper elevations in the Mojave Desert in California. It is found primarily in canyons, arroyos, drainage channels and washes on upper alluvial fans and in mountains at 700-1600 m elevation (Evens 2000, Keeler-Wolf et al. 2005). Sites are gentle to steep slopes (1 to 28°) on primarily southerly aspects. Substrates are typically coarse-textured soils, usually coarse to fine sand (rarely with fine-textured soils), and often with cobbles and gravel on the surface. Soils are variable, ranging from sands to silty clay loams and derived from a variety of substrates such as gneiss, granite, granodiorite, limestone, plutonic rock (phaneritic), rhyolite, and sandstone (Evens 2000, Keeler-Wolf et al. 2005). These sites experience low to high levels of disturbance from competition from exotics and low to moderate levels of disturbance from foot traffic and trampling (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2005).
Geographic Range: This desert scrub association is found at mid to upper elevations in the Mojave Desert and has been sampled in Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park in California.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.971564
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 3 Desert & Semi-Desert Class | C03 | 3 |
| Subclass | 3.A Warm Desert & Semi-Desert Woodland, Scrub & Grassland Subclass | S06 | 3.A |
| Formation | 3.A.2 Warm Desert & Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Formation | F015 | 3.A.2 |
| Division | 3.A.2.Na North American Warm Desert Scrub & Grassland Division | D039 | 3.A.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 3.A.2.Na.7 North American Warm-Desert Xeric-Riparian Scrub Macrogroup | M092 | 3.A.2.Na.7 |
| Group | 3.A.2.Na.7.a Desert-willow - Apache Plume - Desert Almond Desert Wash & Colluvial Slope Group | G541 | 3.A.2.Na.7.a |
| Alliance | A4187 Catclaw Acacia - Desert-lavender - Beloperone Desert Wash Scrub Alliance | A4187 | 3.A.2.Na.7.a |
| Association | CEGL005738 Catclaw Acacia - Desert Almond Desert Wash Shrubland | CEGL005738 | 3.A.2.Na.7.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acacia greggii - Prunus fasciculata (Sawyer et al. 2009) [33.040.07]
= Acacia greggii - Prunus fasciculata Association (Evens et al. 2012)
= Acacia greggii - Prunus fasciculata Shrubland Association (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2005)
= Acacia greggii-Prunus fasciculata Association (Evens et al. 2014)
= Acacia greggii-Prunus fasciculatum (Keeler-Wolf and Thomas 2000)
= Acacia greggii/Prunus fasciculata association (Canyon association) (Evens 2000)
< Acacia greggii Shrubland Alliance (Keeler-Wolf and Thomas 2000)
= Acacia greggii - Prunus fasciculata Association (Evens et al. 2012)
= Acacia greggii - Prunus fasciculata Shrubland Association (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2005)
= Acacia greggii-Prunus fasciculata Association (Evens et al. 2014)
= Acacia greggii-Prunus fasciculatum (Keeler-Wolf and Thomas 2000)
= Acacia greggii/Prunus fasciculata association (Canyon association) (Evens 2000)
< Acacia greggii Shrubland Alliance (Keeler-Wolf and Thomas 2000)
- Evens, J. M. 2000. Water course vegetation on granite and calcareous substrates in the eastern Mojave Desert, California. Master''s thesis, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.
- Evens, J. M., D. Roach-McIntosh, and D. Stout. 2012. Vegetation descriptions for Joshua Tree National Park. Unpublished report submitted to USDI, National Park Service, Mojave Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.
- 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.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., S. San, and D. Hickson. 2005. Vegetation classification of Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, California. Unpublished report to the National Park Service. California Fish and Game and California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., and K. Thomas. 2000. Draft descriptions of vegetation alliances for the Mojave Ecosystem Mapping project. California Natural Diversity Database, California Department of 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.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.