Columbia Plateau Scabland Shrubland
Barren, dry rocky scablands occur extensively in the Columbia Plateau. These dwarf-shrublands occur on poorly drained, very shallow soils on bedrock that are often saturated during winter then completely dry out by mid-summer. Common species are either low to medium-sized wild buckwheat shrubs or rigid sagebrush. Grass and herb cover is low. Curly bluegrass is most common with scattered herbs such as onion, pussytoes, balsamroot, desert-parsley, phlox, and stonecrop. Annual plants may be seasonally abundant, and abundance of moss and lichen is often high in undisturbed areas. For more information, see NatureServe Explorer.
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