Major plant communities of warm North American deserts

. A syntaxonomic study of the major plant communities in neotropical North American deserts (Sonoran, Mojave and Baja California Deserts) is presented. The field method of the Braun‐Blanquet approach was combined with a numerical syntaxonomical analysis (cluster analysis and principal coordinate ordination). 21 associations are described for the first time: Ambrosio chenopodifoliae‐Larreetum tridentatae, Acamptopappo sphaerocephali‐Larreetum tridentatae , Hymenocleo monogyrae‐Baccharidetum glutinosae , Bergerocacto emoryi‐Agavetum shawii , Burseretum hindsianomicrophyllae , Cercidio microphylli‐Carnegieetum giganteae , Bursero microphyllae‐Cyrtocarpetum edulis , Hymenocleo salsolae‐Daleetum spinosae , Echinocereo engelmannii‐Agavetum deserti , Euphorbio californicae‐Fouquierietum diguetii , Fouquierio splendentis‐Larreetum tridentatae , Agavo cerulatae‐Idrietum columnaris , Mascagnio macropterae‐Lysilometum candidae, Maytenetum phyllanthoidis , Opuntio basilaris‐Larreetum tridentatae , Prosopidetum torreyanae, Roso minutifoliae‐Aesculetum parryi, Opuntio taponae‐Agavetum subcerulatae , Tidestromio oblongifoliae‐Atriplicetum hymenelytrae, Eurotio lanatae‐Larreetum tridentatae and Yucco validae‐Fouquierietum diguetii . Some associations include subassociations. Ecological, biogeographical and floristic bioclimatic data are given for each association.