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Chaparral in the Santa Ynez Mountains, near Santa Barbara, California. Chaparral (/ ˌ ʃ æ p ə ˈ r æ l, ˌ tʃ æ p-/ SHAP-ə-RAL, CHAP-) [1] is a shrubland plant community found primarily in California, in southern Oregon and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.
Larrea divaricata, commonly known as chaparral, is a small evergreen bush in the family Zygophyllaceae. It is native to arid regions of South America, where it is known as jarilla or jarillo . It was first described in 1800 by the Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles .
Larrea tridentata, called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, [2] chaparral as a medicinal herb, [3] and gobernadora (Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. [citation needed] In Sonora, it is more commonly called hediondilla; [4] Spanish hediondo = "smelly".
Though adapted to infrequent fires, chaparral plant communities can be exterminated by frequent fires especially with climate change induced drought. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Today, frequent accidental ignitions can convert chaparral from a native shrubland to nonnative annual grassland and drastically reduce species diversity, especially under global ...
Chaparral and oak woodlands are the most widespread plant communities in this ecoregion. The chaparral is composed of diverse shrubs and herbs. These include chamise and several species of manzanita and ceanothus. Gray pine often emerges from the shrubs.
The plant species of the California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion are diverse, with high endemism. [2] The main plant communities are coastal sage scrub, California coastal prairie, chamise chaparral, southern oak woodland, pine forests, riparian woodland, and salt marshes. [5] [4]
Ribes malvaceum, the chaparral currant, is a member of the Grossulariaceae (gooseberry family). It is native to California and northern Baja California , where it occurs from sea level to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), in chaparral , foothill oak woodland , and closed-cone pine forest habitats.
This ecoregion has two predominant ecosystems, with three primary plant communities: the California coastal sage and chaparral, with coastal sage scrub along the coast, the California montane chaparral and woodlands, with chaparral and California oak woodlands as the mountains rise and recede from the coast and descend into the interior valleys.