Feb. 16, 1914 
375 
Indicator Significance of Vegetation 
Table III .—Types of the vegetation in Tooele Valley , Utah , and their dominant species . 
Name of association or other plant community . 1 
Dominant species. 
Sagebrush association . 
Artemisia tridentata. 
f Artemisia tridentata. 
| Juniperus utahensis. 
[Chrysothamnus nauseosus albicaulis. 
Sand-hill niiv^d association.. 
Kochia association 
Kochia vestita. 
Shadscale association. 
Greasewood-shadscale association 
Grass-flat communities. 
Salt-flat communities 
Atriplex confertifolia. 
Sarcobatus vermiculatus. 
Atriplex confertifolia. 
( Distichlis spicata. 
Sporobolus airoides. 
Chrysothamnus graveolens glabrata. 
{ Allenrolfea occidentalis. 
Salicomia utahensis. 
Salicornia rubra. 
1 Further investigation of the vegetation of the Great Basin region is needed before definite ecological 
rank can be assigned to the grass-fiat and the salt-fiat communities. 
DISTRIBUTION OF THE TYPES OF VEGETATION 
The distribution and relative area in Tooele Valley of the different 
types of vegetation is shown on the map (PI. XLII). 
Nearly all of the dry land free from alkali salts which retains the 
original plant covering is occupied by the sagebrush association. (PI. 
XTIV.) This type of vegetation covers the southern end of the valley 
and also extends northward in a narrow fringe along the base of the 
Stansbury Range to within about 5 miles of Great Salt Lake. Few 
vestiges of the original cover remain on the eastern side of the valley, 
but there can be little doubt that sagebrush formerly occupied the bench 
lands and alluvial fans at the foot of the Oquirrh Range. The dominant 
species of this association is also found along gullies and in depressions, 
in the midst of areas otherwise occupied by the Kochia and shadscale 
associations. It is probable that most of the land now occupied by the 
sagebrush association was laid bare before the waters of Lake Bonne¬ 
ville had become strongly saline. 
South of the center of the valley a rather extensive area of sand hills is 
covered by what may be designated the sand-hill mixed association. 
In this association also sagebrush is the dominant plant, but there is a 
plentiful admixture of Utah juniper and certain species of rabbit brush 
(Chrysothamnus), together with many herbaceous plants more or less 
peculiar to sandy soils. Botanically, this is the most varied and inter¬ 
esting type of vegetation occurring in Tooele Valley. 
