Search Communities by Types
The Community Ecology Field Guide offers descriptions and related information about some of Montana Natural Communities. The list of commuities available via this guide will grow as the information becomes available. Use the options below to access the field guide information either by physognomic class or alphabetical list. You may also want to view the 2002 List of Ecological Communities for Montana as a PDF file.
SELECT by a Physognomic Class
and then view the class list by either Latin Name or Common Name.- Forest
- Woodland
- Shrubland
- Dwarf Shrubland
- Herbaceous Vegetation
- Sparse Vegetation
- Nonvascular
Or VIEW the Entire Community List (for which we have descriptions)
alphabetically by either Latin Name or Common Name.- Abies lasiocarpa / Arnica cordifolia Forest
- Abies lasiocarpa / Calamagrostis canadensis Forest
- Abies lasiocarpa / Calamagrostis rubescens Forest
- Abies lasiocarpa / Carex geyeri Forest
- Abies lasiocarpa / Ribes (montigenum, lacustre, inerme) Forest
- Abies lasiocarpa / Streptopus amplexifolius Forest
- Artemisia cana / Hesperostipa comata Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Artemisia cana / Pascopyrum smithii Shrubland
- Artemisia cana ssp. cana / Pascopyrum smithii Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Elymus lanceolatus ssp. albicans Shrubland
- Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Pseudoroegneria spicata Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Artemisia tripartita / Festuca campestris Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Artemisia tripartita / Pseudoroegneria spicata Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Betula glandulosa / Carex utriculata Shrubland
- Calamagrostis canadensis Western Herbaceous Vegetation
- Calamovilfa longifolia - Carex inops ssp. heliophila Herbaceous Vegetation
- Calamovilfa longifolia - Hesperostipa comata Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex aperta Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex aquatilis Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex buxbaumii Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex lanuginosa - Calamagrostis stricta Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex lanuginosa Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex lasiocarpa Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex limosa Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex nebrascensis Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex rupestris - Potentilla ovina Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex saxatilis Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex scirpoidea - Geum rossii Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex scirpoidea - Potentilla diversifolia Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex utriculata Herbaceous Vegetation
- Carex vesicaria Herbaceous Vegetation
- Cornus sericea Shrubland
- Dryas integrifolia - Carex spp. Dwarf Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Dryas octopetala - Polygonum viviparum Dwarf Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Dulichium arundinaceum Seasonally Flooded Herbaceous Vegetation
- Eleocharis palustris Herbaceous Vegetation
- Eleocharis rostellata Herbaceous Vegetation
- Elymus lanceolatus - Phacelia hastata Herbaceous Vegetation
- Equisetum fluviatile Herbaceous Vegetation
- Eriogonum pauciflorum - Gutierrezia sarothrae Badlands Sparse Vegetation
- Festuca idahoensis - Carex filifolia Herbaceous Vegetation
- Festuca idahoensis - Hesperostipa richardsonii Herbaceous Vegetation
- Festuca idahoensis - Leucopoa kingii Herbaceous Vegetation
- Festuca idahoensis - Potentilla diversifolia Herbaceous Vegetation
- Geum rossii - Minuartia obtusiloba Herbaceous Vegetation
- Hesperostipa curtiseta - Elymus lanceolatus Herbaceous Vegetation
- Hordeum jubatum Herbaceous Vegetation
- Juncus balticus Herbaceous Vegetation
- Juncus drummondii - Antennaria lanata Herbaceous Vegetation
- Juncus parryi - Erigeron ursinus Herbaceous Vegetation
- Juniperus horizontalis / Schizachyrium scoparium Dwarf shrubland
- Juniperus scopulorum / Piptatherum micranthum Woodland
- Pascopyrum smithii - Bouteloua gracilis - Carex filifolia Herbaceous Vegetation
- Pascopyrum smithii - Distichlis spicata Herbaceous Vegetation
- Pascopyrum smithii - Eleocharis spp. Herbaceous Vegetation
- Pascopyrum smithii - Nassella viridula Herbaceous Vegetation
- Pascopyrum smithii Herbaceous Vegetation
- Picea engelmannii / Calamagrostis canadensis Forest
- Picea engelmannii / Cornus sericea Woodland
- Picea engelmannii / Equisetum arvense Forest
- Picea engelmannii / Lysichiton americanus Forest
- Pinus flexilis / Festuca idahoensis Woodland
- Pinus flexilis / Juniperus communis Woodland
- Pinus ponderosa / Pseudoroegneria spicata Woodland
- Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa / Cornus sericea Forest
- Populus deltoides / Symphoricarpos occidentalis Woodland
- Prunus virginiana Shrubland
- Pseudoroegneria spicata - Bouteloua curtipendula Herbaceous Vegetation
- Pseudoroegneria spicata - Bouteloua gracilis Herbaceous Vegetation
- Pseudoroegneria spicata - Eriogonum brevicaule Sparse Vegetation
- Pseudoroegneria spicata - Cushion plant Herbaceous Vegetation
- Puccinellia nuttalliana Herbaceous Vegetation
- Rhus trilobata / Schizachyrium scoparium Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Salicornia rubra Herbaceous Vegetation
- Salix boothii / Calamagrostis canadensis Shrubland
- Salix candida / Carex utriculata Shrubland
- Salix drummondiana / Carex utriculata Shrubland
- Salix exigua Mesic Graminoids Shrubland
- Salix geyeriana / Calamagrostis canadensis Shrubland
- Salix geyeriana / Carex utriculata Shrubland
- Sarcobatus vermiculatus / Pascopyrum smithii Shrub Herbaceous Vegetation
- Schizachyrium scoparium - Muhlenbergia cuspidata Herbaceous Vegetation
- Scirpus acutus Herbaceous Vegetation
- Scirpus tabernaemontani Temperate Herbaceous Vegetation
- Shepherdia argentea Shrubland
- Spartina gracilis Herbaceous Vegetation
- Spartina pectinata western Herbaceous Vegetation
- Sporobolus airoides Herbaceous Vegetation
- Stuckenia pectinatus - Zannichellia palustris Herbaceous Vegetation
- Stuckenia pectinatus - Myriophyllum spicatum Herbaceous Vegetation
- Stuckenia pectinatus - Ruppia maritima Herbaceous Vegetation
- Symphoricarpos occidentalis Shrubland
- Typha latifolia Western Herbaceous Vegetation