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SPECIES ADAPTED FOR SEEDING MOUNTAIN BRUSH,
BIG, BLACK, AND LOW SAGEBRUSH, AND PINYON-JUNIPER COMMUNITIES
Richard Stevens
ABSTRACT: Successful range improvement depends
on the seeding of plants adapted to a specific
site and for which ample seed is available. This
paper lists species adapted to mountain brush,
big, black, and low sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper
communities.
2. Areas with scattered, small stands of
serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), Gambel oak,
and mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata
vaseyana). Productivity potential is generally
good.
VEGETATIVE TYPES
3. North and east exposures with good shrub
variety and density. Temperatures are relatively
cool and soil moisture is excellen~. Forage production potential is generally high.
successful range improvement project begins
with the selection of plants adapted to the sites
being treated. Selected plants must be able to
establish and maintain themselves over the years.
Best results have been obtained where the species
planted were adapted to the site rather than
where a plant was expected to adapt to a site
or where a site was treated to try to accommodate
a particular species.
4. South and west exposures that are sunny
and dry. Soils are generally shallow; forage
production in the interspaces between shrubs is
generally low; potential for improving forage
production is the lowest within the mountain brush
type.
~
Sagebrush types
Many species are adapted to most sites, but seed
availability can limit the number of species
actually seeded. Only those species (tables 1
and 2) for which seed is commercially available
are recommended. For some recommended species
seed is plentiful; for some species seed is
scarce.
1. Mountain big sagebrush (!. tridentata
vaseyana). This type is generally found elevationally above basin big sagebrush (!. tridentata
tridentata), from foothills up to timberlines.
Precipitation varies between 12 to 30 inches (30
to 76 em). Soils are generally deep, with good
water-holding capacity. Because of the great
variation in climatic and edaphic conditions that
occur throughout this subspecies' range of occurrence, species recommended for seeding are broken
into two groups: (a) those for areas that receive
between 12 to 17 inches (30 to 43 em) of annual
precipitation; and (b) those for areas that
receive over 17 inches (table 2). A large number
of grasses, forbs, and other shrubs can be found
growing in association with mountain big sagebrush.
Edaphic and climatic conditions usually vary
within any specific vegetative type. Species
recommended fo~ seeding are adapted for each
listed vegetative type. Each recommended species
most likely will not be adapted at all local
edaphic and climatic conditions within a specific
vegetation type.
Individual site characteristics and requirements,
seed availability, and project objectives will
determine which species are selected.
2. Basin big sagebrush (A. tridentata
tridentata). Basin big sagebrush is found on welldrained, deep soils on plains, in valleys, canyon
bottoms, and foothills that receive 9 to 16 inches
(23 to 41 em) of annual precipitation. A majority
of the irrigated farmlands, dry farms, and dry
pastures within the Intermountain West were once
inhabited by this subspecies.
Mountain brush type
Within the mountain brush type annual precipitation can range from 15 to 26 inches (38 to 66 em).
There are four general categories in the mountain
brush type (species adapted to each are listed in
table 1):
A considerable number of forbs, grasses, and shrubs
grow in association with basin big sagebrush.
Species adapted to basin big sagebrush areas can
be broken up into two groups: those that have
potential with less than 13 inches (33 em) of
precipitation; and those that are adapted to areas
receiving over 13 inches (table 2).
1. Thick stands of large and small Gambel
oak (Quercus gambelii) and bigtooth maple (Acer
grandidentatum) that are generally impenetrable
and unavailable to livestock and big game. Herbaceous understory production is generally low.
Forage production potential for the site is
generally excellent.
3. Wyoming big sagebrush (A. tridentata
wyomingensis). Soils in which Wyoming big sagebrush occur are usually shallow, gravelly to
stony, with low water-holding capacity. Annual
precipitaiton varies from 7 to 15 inches (18 to
Richard Stevens is Wildlife Biologist at the Great
Basin Experimental Area, Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources, Ephraim, Utah.
78
Table 1. -- Species adapted to the mountain brush types in the Intermountain West
Exposure
Community type
North
Southwest Open
Closed
and
(Sunny & (Oak and
(Oak and
East
dry).
serviceberry) maple)
Species
GRASSES AND FORBS:
Brame, Regar
Brame, smooth (southern)
Fescue, hard sheep
Needlegrass, green
Oatgrass, tall
Orchardgrass
Wheatgrass, bluebunch
Wheatgrass, crested
Wheatgrass, fairway
Wheatgrass, intermediate
Wildrye, Great Basin
Wildrye, Russian
Bluegrass, Kentucky
Alfalfa (Nomad, Ladak, Rambler),
spreading strains
Balsamroot, arrowleaf
Balsamroot, curlleaf
Burnet, small
Crownvetch
Flax, Lewis
Goldeneye, showy
Lomatium, Nuttall
Lupine, silky
Milkvetch, chickpea
Penstemon, low
Penstemon, Palmer
Penstemon, Rocky Mountain
Sainfoin
Sweetanise .
Sweetclover, yellow
Sweetvetch, Utah
Sunflower, oneflower
Bromus biebersteinii
Bromus inermis
~a ovina ~uriuscula
Stipa viridula
Arrhenatherum elatius
Dactylis glomerata
Agropyron spicatum
Agropyron desertorum
Agropyron cristatum
Agropyron intermedium
Elymus cinereus
~ junceus
Poa pratensis
X
Medicago sativa
Balsamorhiza sagittata
Balsamorhiza macrophylla
Sanguisorba minor
Coronilla varia
Linum lewi~
Viguiera multiflora
Lomatium nuttallii
Lupinus sericeus
Astragalus cicer
Penstemon humilus
Penstemon palmerii
Penstemon strictus
Onobrychis viciaefolia
Osmorhiza occidentalis
Melilotus officinalis
Hedysarum boreale utahensis
Helianthella annus
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
SHRUBS:
Bitterbrush, antelope
Chokecherry, black
Elder, blueberry
Ephedra, green
Mountain mahogany, curlleaf
Mountain mahogany, true
Rabbitbrush, mountain rubber
Sagebrush, big mountain
Serviceberry, Saskatoon
Serviceberry, Utah
Sqawapple
Purshia tridentata
Prunus virginiana melanocarpa
Sambucus cerulea
Ephedra viridis
Cercocarpus ledifolius
ledifolius
Cercocarpus montanus
Chrysothamnus nauseosus
salicifolius
Artemisia tridentata vaseyana
Amelanchier alnifolia
Amelanchier utahensis
Peraphyllum ramosissimum
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
38 em). Generally, few herbaceous species are
found growing in association with Wyoming big
sagebrush. Likewise, few species are adapted
for which seed is available (table 2).
rocky, and well drained, with poor moisture-holding
capacity. Few grasses, forbs or shrubs for which
seed is available are adapted to areas in which
black sagebrush is dominant (table 2).
4. Black sagebrush (!. nova). Annual precipitation throughout the area in which black
sagebrush occurs varies between 7 and 18 inches
(18 and 46 em). Soils are generally shallow,
5. Low sagebrush(!. arbuscula). Low sagebrush grows on dry, sterile, rocky, often alkaline
soils that range from shallow to moderately deep.
Hardpans, 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 em) deep are
79
Table 2. -- Species adapted to sagebrush communities in the Intermountain West.
Mountain big
sagebrush
Species
(12-17)
(17+)
Basin big
sagebrush
Wyoming
sagebrush
Black
sagebrush
Low
sagebrush
(9-13) (13+)
Inches 1
Inches
GRASSES:
Alkali sacaton, Sporobolus airoides
Regar brome, Bromus biebersteinii
Smooth brome, Bromus inermis (southern)
Hard sheep fescue, Festuca ovina
duriuscula
----Sulcate sheep fescue, Festuca ovina
sulcata
Needle-and-thread, Stipa comata
Tall oatgrass, Arrhenatherum elatius
Orchardgrass, Dactylis glomerta
Indian ricegrass, Oryzopsis hymenoides
Bottlebrush squirreltail, Sitanion hystrix
Bluebunch wheatgrass, Agropyron spicatum
Bluebunch, beardless wheatgrass,
Agropyron inerme
Crested wheatgrass, Agropyron desertorum
Fairway wheatgrass, Agropyron cristatum
Intermediate wheatgrass, Agropyron
intermedium
Pubescent wheatgrass, Agropyron
trichophorum
Siberian wheatgrass, Agropyron sibiricum
Slender wheatgrass, Agropyron trachycaulum
Tall wheatgrass, Agropyron elongatum
Thickspike wheatgrass, Agropyron
dasystachyum
Great Basin wildrye, Elymus cinereus
Russian wildrye, Elymus junceus
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
FORBS:
Ladak, Nomad, spreading strains-Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
Arrowleaf balsamroot, Balsamorhiza
sagittata
Cutleaf balsamroot, Balsamorhiza
macrophylla
Small burnet, Sanguisorba minor
Crownvetch, Coronilla varia
Lewis flax, Linum lewisii
Showy goldeneye, Viguiera multiflora
Gooseberryleaf globemallow,
Sphaeralcea grossulariaefolia
Scarlet globemallow, Sphaeralcea
coccinea
Nuttall lomatium, Lomatium nuttallii
Mountain lupine, Lupinus alpestris
Silky lupine, Lupinus sericeus
Silvery lupine, Lupinus argenteus
Chickpea milkvetch, Astragalus cicer
Low penstemon, Penstemon humilus
Palmer penstemon, Penstemon palmeri
Rocky Mountain penstemon, Penstemon
strictus
Sainfoin, Onobrychis viciaefolia
Sweetanise, Osmorhiza occidentalis
Yellow sweetclover, Melilotus officinalis
Utah sweetvetch, Hedysarum boreale
utahensis
Oneflower sunflower, Helianthella annus
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
(con.)
80
Table 2. -- (con.)
Species
Mountain big
sagebrush
( 12-1 7) ( 17 +)
1
Inches
Basin big
Wyoming
sagebrush
sagebrush
(9-13) (13+)
Black
sagebrush
Low
sagebrush
1
Inches
SHRUBS:
Antelope bitterbrush, Purshia
tridentata
Black chokecherry, Prunus virginiana
melanocarpa
Stansbury cliffrose, Cowania mexicana
stansburiana
Blueberry elder, Sambucus cerulea
Green ephedra, Ephedra viridis
Nevada ephedra, Ephedra nevadensis
Prostrate kochia, Kochia prostrata
True mountain mahogany, Cercocarpus
montanus
Curlleaf mountain mahogany, Cercocarpus
ledifolius
Hairy low rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus
viscidiflorus puberulus
Mountain rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus
viscidiflorus lanceolatus
Mountain rubber rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus
nauseosus salicifolius
~fuite rubber rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus
nauseosus albicaulis
Basin big sagebrush, Artemisia
tridentata tridentata
Mountain big sagebrush, Artemisia
tridentata vaseyana
Wyoming big sa~ebrush, ·Artemisia
tridentata wyomingensis
Black sagebrush, Artemisia nova
Low sagebrush, Artemisia arbuscula
Fourwing saltbush, Atriplex ~anescens
Saskatoon serviceberry, Amelanchier
alnifolia
Winterfat, Ceratoides lanata
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
1
Annual precipitation.
2With more than 12 inches (30 em) annual precipitation.
81
not uncommon. Annual precipitation varies
between 7 and 18 inches (18 and 46 em).
Pinyon-Juniper Type
This type is widespread throughout the Intermountain West.
Pinyon or juniper (or both) can be
found in all sagebrush types. Where pinyon or
juniper is dominant, sagebrush can be found in
small or large quantities.
The species adapted to a particular pinyonjuniper site are indicated by the sagebrush
present.
Species adapted to the sagebrush type
(table 2) associated with the pinyon-juniper
should be adapted to the site.
82