The Alaska Vegetation Classification - Alaska Geobotany Center ...

Alpine herb communities also may be similar to alpine heb-sedge (snowbed) communities,but the latter occur in depressions below snowbeds lasting late in thespring and usually are quite distinctive. Mesic mixed herb communities are onwell-developed soils and have much denser (usually closed) vegetation. Very opendwarf scrub communities may resemble alpine herb communities, but ir the latterthe plants are primarily woody mat-formers, such as dryas, crowberry, or prostratewillows.Very open alpine herb communities with lichens present may resemble lichencommunities (lll.C.2.), but herbs are almost completely absent from lichencommunities.Photographs-Johnson and others 1966, figure 5; Racine and Anderson 1979,figure 17; Shacklette and others 1969, figures 6. 7, 18, 30, 32, and 33.Primary references-Griggs 1936, Johnson and others 1966, Racine and Anderson1979, Shacklette and others 1969, Spetzman 1959.Communities-Saxifraga tricuspidata-Daba caesia (Batten 1977, Johnson andothers 1966). Saxifraga oppositifolia (Griggs 1936). Saxifraga oppositifolia-Epilobiumlatifolium (Viereck 1963). Saxifraga tricuspidafa-Artemisia arctica (Webber and others1978). Potentilla byparctica-Cerastium aleuticum-Draba aleutica (Shacklette andothers 1969). Potentilla villosa-Draba hyperborea-Saxifraga bracteata (Shacklette andothers 1969). Artemisia arctica-Potentilla hyparctica-Hierochloe alpina (Heusser 1954,1960). Diapensia lapponica6axifraga bronchialis-Sibbaldia procumbens-Trisetumspicatum (Griggs 1936). Saxifraga spp.-festuca brachypbylla-Poa glauca-Luzulaconfusa-Minuartia spp. (Spetzman 1959). Oxyria digyna-Saxifraga punctafa-Sedumrosea-Primula tscbuktscborum (Fries 1977). Veronica stelleri-Cassiope lycopodioides-Tofieldia coccinea-Salix rotundifolia (Shacklette and others 1969). Carex circinnafa-Umbilicariaproboscidea-Agrostis borealis (Shacklette and others 1969). Geumrossii-Silene acaulis-Oxyria digyna (Friedman 1982). Hierochloe: alpina-Luzulatundricola-Potentilla elegans (Racine and Anderson 1979).111.B.2. Mesic Forb HerbaceousThese forb communities primarily occur on rich, sheltered, well-drained sites withdeep soils.lll.B.2.a. Mixed HerbsDescription-These communities are dominated by herbs and have complete ornearly complete vegetative cover (fig. 70). Locally common herbs include Campanulaspp., Angelica spp., Lupinus spp., Artemisia spp., Lathyrus spp., Anemone spp,Delphinium spp., and Aconitum delphinifolium. Sedges, grasses, ferns, and mosses(especially feathermosses) also are common at many sites. Lichens may be present;woody plants are rare.