Shadscale scrub is a plant community and

vegetation type Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource management, resource and envi ...

that occurs in upper elevations of the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

and lower elevations of the

Great Basin The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

, characterized by salt tolerant plants— halophytes. It is located at higher elevations than the saltbush scrub plant community, but shares some of its plant species.Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam Mackay, p 16

Flora

The shadscale scrub vegetation type commonly includes: *hop-sage (''

Grayia spinosa ''Grayia'' may refer to: * ''Grayia'' (snake), a genus of African water snakes * ''Grayia'' (plant), a genus of desert shrubs in the family Amaranthaceae {{Genus disambiguation ...

'') *winter fat ('' Krascheninnikovia lanata''). Shared members with higher elevation saltbush scrub include: *goosefoot family ( Chenopodiaceae) members *four-wing saltbrush (''

Atriplex canescens ''Atriplex canescens'' (or chamiso, chamiza, four-wing saltbush) is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Amaranthaceae native to the western and midwestern United States. Description ''Atriplex canescens'' has a highly variable form, and ...

'' *shadscale ('' Atriplex confertifolia'') *cattle spinach, or all-scale (''

Atriplex polycarpa ''Atriplex polycarpa'', the allscale, (or all-scale) cattle spinach, allscale saltbush, or cattle saltbush, is a plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is native to the Southwestern United States, California, and northern Mexico. This species bl ...

''). Other species can include: *'' Calochortus excavatus'' — Inyo County star tulip.

References

{{reflist . . Plant communities of California Halophytes

Flora

See also

References