Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak - Mixed Montane Shrubland

Geology

Primarily limestone formations of the mountains.

Landform

Slopes and rolling landforms of the Trans-Pecos mountains.

Soils

Limestone Hill and Mountain and High Montane Conifer Ecological Sites.

Parent Description

High mountain shrublands dominated by the deciduous oak species Quercus gambelii (Gambel oak). This species often forms nearly monotypic shrublands, but other species present may include Cercocarpus montanus (mountain mahogany), Robinia neomexicana (New Mexico locust), Symphoricarpos oreophilus (mountain snowberry), and Rhus trilobata (skunkbush sumac). These shrubland patches represent southern outliers of the extensive and diverse system further north.