Dasiphora fruticosa Shrubland Alliance
Shrubby cinquefoil scrub
Shrubby cinquefoil scrub
USDA Ecological Section Map
Summary Information
- Primary Life FormShrub
- Elevation2000-3600 m
- State RarityS3?
- Global RarityG5
- DistributionCAN: AB, SK. USA: CA, ID, MT, ND, WY (NatureServe)
- Endemic to CaliforniaNo
- Endemic to California Floristic Province and DesertsNo
- Date Added2009/09/01
Characteristic Species
Dasiphora fruticosa is dominant or characteristically present in the shrub and herbaceous layers with Achillea millefolium, Antennaria media, Antennaria rosea, Artemisia cana, Carex filifolia, Carex microptera, Danthonia intermedia, Deschampsia cespitosa, Elymus elymoides, Ligusticum grayi, Muhlenbergia richardsonis, Poa glauca ssp. rupicola, Poa pratensis, Poa secunda, Potentilla breweri, Potentilla drummondii, Pyrrocoma apargioides, Selaginella watsonii, Trifolium longipes, Trisetum spicatum and Veratrum californicum.
Vegetation Layers
Shrubs < 2 m; canopy is open to intermittent. Herbaceous layer is intermittent to continuous.
Membership Rules
- Dasiphora fruticosa > 50% relative cover in the shrub canopy, though the canopy is variable and may average < 10 % cover to 60% cover and is usually associated with the herbs having higher cover than the shrubs (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003b).
Habitats
Wet subalpine to alpine meadows, stream terraces, slopes near springs or areas with heavy snow accumulations, and forest edges. Soils are loams. The USFWS Wetland Inventory (1996 national list) recognizes Dasiphora fruticosa as a FACW plant.
Other Habitat, Alliance and Community Groupings
| MCV (1995) | Alpine habitat |
| NVCS (2009) | Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda shrub herbaceous alliance |
| Calveg | Alpine mixed scrub, Wet grasses and forbs |
| Holland | Wet subalpine or alpine meadow |
| Munz | Alpine fell-fields |
| WHR | Alpine dwarf-shrub, Wet meadow |
| CDFW CA Code | 38.110.00 |
National Vegetation Classification Hierarchy
| Formation Class | Mesomorphic Tree Vegetation (Forest and Woodland) |
| Formation Subclass | Temperate Forest |
| Formation | Temperate Flooded and Swamp Forest |
| Division | Western North America Flooded and Swamp Forest |
| Macro Group | Western Cordilleran montane-boreal riparian scrub |
| Group | Western North American montane-subalpine riparian scrub |
Remarks
Dasiphora fruticosa is a circumpolar, long-lived deciduous shrub of moist to wet habitats. Plants vary from low mats to erect plants that attain 2 m in height. Flowers produce approximately 50 achenes per flower. Plants reproduce mainly by seed, and individual plants expand by layering (Anderson 2001d). North American plants, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, have large flowers. The species has been included in the genera Pentaphylloides and Potentilla.
NatureServe (2007a) indicates the alliance as highly variable in the Rocky Mountains, and the species is a common member of many wetland alliances, including those of fens, riparian areas, steep talus, and upland settings throughout the subalpine and alpine zones in the higher mountains of North America. In California, stands are usually small and associated with moist meadows or stream terraces.
NatureServe (2007a) indicates the alliance as highly variable in the Rocky Mountains, and the species is a common member of many wetland alliances, including those of fens, riparian areas, steep talus, and upland settings throughout the subalpine and alpine zones in the higher mountains of North America. In California, stands are usually small and associated with moist meadows or stream terraces.
Life History Traits of the Principal Species
| Dasiphora fruticosa | |
|---|---|
| Life forms | Shrub; winter deciduous |
| Seed storage | Soil |
| Seed longevity | Long |
| Mode of dispersal | Wind |
| Germination agents | Stratification—winter |
| Mode of sprouting | Buds on small branches; underground structures |
| Survivability after fire/disturbance | Fire-sensitive; low sprouter |
| Disturbance-stimulated flowering | No |
| Reproductive range | Long-lived |
| Recruitment | Low to medium |
| Regional variation | Low |
Fire Characteristics
Although fluvial processes primarily disturb the alliance, Dasiphora fruticosa sprouts and establishes from off-site seed sources after fires (Anderson 2001d).
| Fire return interval | — |
| Seasonality | — |
| Size/extent | — |
| Complexity | — |
| Intensity | — |
| Severity | — |
| Type | — |
| Regional knowledge | — |
Regional Status
The range of the species Dasiphora fruticosa includes the high elevations of the Southern Cascades (M261B) and Southwest Great Basin (341F) but it is unknow if there are stands in these areas.
- Klamath Mountains (M261Aj). Stands in the Mount Eddy region exist on ultramafic substrates (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 2007).
- Modoc Plateau (M261Gf). Stands are rare in the Warner Mountains at Squaw Peak, associated with high-elevation meadow and riparian complexes with grazing disturbance (S. Smith 1998b).
- Mono (341Dj). Stands occur in higher elevations of the White Mountains adjacent to wet meadows with Deschampsia cespitosa, Carex scopulorum, and other wetland herbaceous alliances.
- Sierra Nevada (M261Ek, Eo). Stand descriptions from the Carson Pass area (Major and Taylor 1977), Harvey Monroe Hall RNA (Taylor 1984), and Rae Lakes Basin (Burke 1982) characterize the alliance in California. In Yosemite (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003b), stands are usually found in areas of metamorphic substrate in rocky, meadow edges.
Management Considerations
In California, stands are rare and small. They typically occur in upper-elevation mountains and are susceptible to reductions with increased climatic warming and/or drying.
Associations
- Dasiphora fruticosa [1]
- Dasiphora fruticosa / Danthonia intermedia [2]
- Dasiphora fruticosa / Danthonia unispicata [5]
- Dasiphora fruticosa / Potentilla breweri [3]
- Dasiphora fruticosa / Veratrum californicum [4]
References
- [1] Burke, M.T. 1982
- [2] Keeler-Wolf, T.;Schindel, M.;San, S.;Moore, P.;Hickson, D. 2003b
- [3] Major, J.;Taylor, D.W. 1977
- [4] Smith, S. 1998b
- [5] Taylor, D.W. 1984
- Anderson, M.D. 2001d
- Johnston, B.C. 1987
- Sawyer, J.O.;Keeler-Wolf, T. 2007
- Youngblood, A.P.;Mauk, R.L. 1985