Blackbush scrub

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Blackbush scrub, [1] or blackbrush scrub, [2] is a vegetation type of the Western United States deserts characterized by low growing, dark gray blackbush ( Coleogyne ramosissima ) as the dominant species. [1] [2] Blackbush often occurs in pure stands, giving a uniform dark gray appearance to the landscape. [1]

Contents

Mojave Desert

Blackbrush scrub occurs over a wide elevation range in the Mojave Desert. [1] It may occur as an understory in Joshua tree woodland or pinyon-juniper woodland. [1] Associates in the Mojave Desert include ephedra ( Ephedra nevadensis , Ephedra viridis ), hop-sage Grayia spinosa , turpentine broom ( Thamnosma montana ), horsebrush ( Tedradymia spp. ), cheesebush ( Ambrosia salsola ), and winter fat ( Krascheninnikovia lanata ). [1]

Colorado Plateau

In the Colorado Plateau, it occurs across uniformly thin soils. [2]

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<i>Salvia mohavensis</i> Species of shrub

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<i>Delphinium parishii</i> Species of plant

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<i>Coleogyne</i> Genus of flowering plants

Coleogyne ramosissima or blackbrush, is a low lying, dark grayish-green, aromatic, spiny, perennial, soft wooded shrub, native to the deserts of the southwestern United States. It is called blackbrush because the gray branches darken when wet by rains. It is in the rose family (Rosaceae), and is the only species in the monotypic genus Coleogyne.

<i>Ephedra californica</i> Species of seed-bearing shrub

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<i>Ephedra viridis</i> Species of seed-bearing shrub

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<i>Lycium andersonii</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Rafinesquia neomexicana</i>

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<i>Lomatium mohavense</i> Species of flowering plant

Lomatium mohavense is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Mojave desertparsley. It is native to southern California with a few outlying populations in Arizona, Nevada and Baja California. It is found in several types of mountain and desert habitat, including chaparral, woodland, and scrub, mostly from 2,000–7,000 feet (600–2,100 m) elevation.

<i>Oenothera primiveris</i> Species of flowering plant

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Pinyon–juniper woodland

Pinyon–juniper woodland, also spelled piñon–juniper woodland, is a vegetation type (biome) of Western United States higher elevation deserts, characterized by being an open forest dominated by low, bushy, evergreen junipers, pinyon pines, and their associates which vary from region to region. The woodland's density and crown height varies dramatically depending on the site's soil and climate, the age of the stand, and the particular species present, with mature trees ranging in height from as low as 2 meters up to 15 meters. At lower elevations, junipers often predominate and trees are spaced widely, bordering on and mingling with grassland or shrubland. As elevation increases, pinyon pines become common and trees grow closer, forming denser canopies. Historically, pinyon-juniper woodland has provided a vital source of fuel and food for peoples of the American Southwest.

<i>Cylindropuntia echinocarpa</i> Species of cactus

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<i>Thamnosma montana</i>

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<i>Tidestromia lanuginosa</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Ambrosia salsola</i> Species of flowering plant

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Sagebrush scrub is a vegetation type (biome) of mid to high elevation Western United States deserts characterized by low growing, drought resistant shrubs including sagebrush and its associates. It is the dominant vegetation type of the Great Basin Desert, occurs along the margins of the Mojave Desert, including in the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevadas and Transverse Ranges of California, and occurs in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region, where it may be referred to as cool desert shrub.

<i>Hilaria rigida</i> Species of grass

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The flora of the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the Western United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam Mackay, p18, 252
  2. 1 2 3 Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan, p 3, 105