List of Major Plant Communities in the San Juan River Basin
for the Bolack San Juan Basin Flora Project

compiled by Bill Romme, January 17, 2003,

            The chapter on vegetation and plant communities will describe the zones and formations outlined in the SRFR preliminary classification system for the Colorado Plateau (Rowlands 1994).  The chapter will not detail the series level classification, but will discuss some of the series under some of the formations to illustrate the range of variability.  Below is a list of the communities (formations) that will be treated in the chapter, with several representative species of some of the communities.

11  Alpine Zone (>3440 m)

1101  Alpine Grassland Formation

            e.g., Carex elynoides, Festuca ovina

1102  Alpine Forbland Formation

            e.g., Erigeron vagus, Acomastylis rossii

1103  Alpine Low Shrubland Formation

            e.g., Salix arctica, Salix brachycarpa, Salix wolfii

1104  Alpine Marshland Formation

1105  Alpine Aquatic Formation

1106  Alpine Barren Formation

12  Subalpine Zone (2750-3600 m)

1101  Subalpine Forest and Woodland Formation

            e.g., Picea engelmannii, Abies lasiocarpa, Pinus longaeva, Populus tremuloides

1102  Subalpine Tall Shrubland Formation

1103  Subalpine Low Shrubland Formation

            e.g., Juniperus communis, Ribes montigenum on drier sites ...or Potentilla fruticosa, Salix wolfii on wetter sites

1104  Subalpine Grassland Formation

            e.g., Festuca ovina, Festuca thurberi

1105  Subalpine Marshland Formation

1206  Subalpine Forbland Formation

1107  Subalpine Aquatic Formation

1108  Subalpine Barren Formation

13  Montane Zone (1900-3100 m)

1301  Montane Forest and Woodland Formation

            e.g., Abies concolor, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, Pinus flexilis, Picea pungens, Juniperus scopulorum, Populus tremuloides

1302  Montane Tall Shrubland Formation

            e.g., Cercocarpus ledifolius, Quercus gambelii, Amelanchier utahensis, Robinia neomexicana, Chrysothamnus nauseosus on drier sites ...or Betula occidentalis, Alnus tenuifolia, Salix boothii, Salix bebbiana on wetter sites

1303  Montane Low Shrubland Formation

            e.g., Artemisia nova, Purshia tridentata, Arctostaphylos patula

1304  Montane Grassland Formation

            e.g., Poa fendleriana

1305  Montane Marshland Formation

            e.g., Eleocharis palustris

1306  Montane Forbland Formation

            e.g., Pteridium aquilinum, Eriogonum panguicense

1307  Montane Aquatic Formation

1308  Montane Barren Formation

14  Submontane / Cold Temperate Lowland Zone (<2200 m)

1401  Submontane Forest and Woodland Formation

            e.g., Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, Juniperus monosperma on drier sites ...or Populus angustifolia, Populus fremontii, Salix goodingii, Acer negundo, Eleagnus angustifolia, Ostrya knowltonii on wetter sites

1402  Submontane Tall Shrubland Formation

            e.g., Artemisia tridentata, Quercus gambelii on drier sites ...or Sarcobatus vermiculatus, Tamarrix ramosissima, Salix exigua, Amelanchier utahensis on wetter sites

1403  Submontane Low Shrubland Formation

            e.g., Coleogyne ramosissima, Artemisa spinescens, Artemisia pygmaea, Artemisia filifolia, Eurotia lanata, Atriplex confertifolia, Atriplex canescens, Atriplex corrugata, Atriplex gardneri, Ephedra viridis, Grayi brandegei, Poliomintha incana, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Vanclevea, stylosa, Eriogonum corymbosum, Fallugia paradoxa, Quercus havardii/undulata, Parreyella filifolia, Toxicodendron rydbergii

1404  Submontane Grassland Formation

            e.g., Hilaria jamesii, Aristida purpurea, Stipa hymenoides, Stipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Sporobolus contractus, Sporobolus airoides, Distichlis spicata, Elymus salinus, Calamovilfa gigantea on drier sites ...or Phragmites australis on wetter sites

1405  Submontane Marshland Formation

            e.g., Typha latifolia, Typha dominguensis, Scirpus pungens, Scirpus validus, Scirpus acutus, Juncus arcticus, Eleocharis palustris, Cyperus erythrorhizos, Carex nebraskensis

1406  Submontane Forbland Formation

            e.g., Adiantum capillus-veneris, Cleomella palmeriana, Eriogonum flexum, Salsola australis, Solidago occidentalis, Oxytenia acerosa

1407  Submontane Aquatic Formation

            e.g., Zanichellia palustris

1408  Submontane Barren Formation

            e.g., Cercocarpus intricatus, Xylorhiza tortifolia 

Reference:

Rowlands, P. G. 1994. Colorado Plateau vegetation assessment and classification manual. Technical Report NPS/NAUCPRS/NRTR-94/06. Published by U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Colorado Plateau Research Station at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5614, USA