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Fossil Butte National Monument visitor center
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Fossil Butte National Monument
Grasses
Tufted twinpod in bloom

NPS photo by Clay Kyte

Tufted twinpod.

The Grass/Forb type is dominated by Sandberg bluegrass (P. sandbergii), but Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides) and wheatgrasses are also present. Common forbs include stemless goldenweed (Stenotus acaulis var. acaulis), Hood's phlox (Phlox hoodii), and starveling milkvetch (Astragalus jejenus). This type thrives on drier sites with shallow soil, such as rocky ridges. The Grass/Forb type also exists where fire has burned shrubby vegetation types. Rock outcrops and barren windswept ridges were mapped as the Barren type. Some areas are nearly devoid of vegetation; others support widely-spaced cushion plants, grasses, and forbs such as tufted twinpod (Physaria condensata).

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Last Updated: August 23, 2006 at 16:59 MST