West Clear Creek Wilderness
Authors:
Wendy McBride
Citation: McBride, Wendy C. 2016. Vascular Flora of West Clear Creek Wilderness, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona. M.S. Thesis, Northern Arizona University.
Locality: WCCW lies approximately 65 km south of Flagstaff and 13 km east of Camp Verde. It is bounded between 34°35’8” and 34°30’41” latitude and -111°21’17” and -111°43’1” longitude. Total area is 6260 hectares. Elevation ranges from approximately 2130 m at the east end to 1035 m along the western boundary. (34.563120, -111.530460) Abstract: Erigeron, Bromus, Muhlenbergia, and Oenothera were the most represented genera. Nonnative taxa accounted for seven percent of the total flora. Stachys albens was vouchered as a new state record for Arizona. New county records include Graptopetalum rusbyi (Coconino), Pseudognaphalium pringlei (Coconino), Phaseolus pedicellatus var. grayanus (Coconino), and Quercus rugosa (Coconino and Yavapai). This study also quantified and contrasted native species diversity in canyon versus non-canyon floras across the Southwest. Analyses based on eighteen floras indicate that those centered about a major canyon feature show greater diversity than non-canyon floras. Regression models revealed that presence of a canyon was a better predictor of similarity between floras than was the distance between them. This study documents the remarkable diversity found within canyon systems and the critical, yet varied, habitat they provide in the southwestern U.S.
Families: 93
Genera: 345
Species: 627
Total Taxa: 631
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