Included here are all parts of California experiencing a Mediterranean type climate with the Central Valley forming the heartland of the area.

Californian Saltmarsh

The saltmarshes of California can be roughly divided into north, central and southern types. However, Salicornia virginica and Spartina foliosa are usually the primary colonists in all three types, and likewise Distichilis spicata is usually the dominant saltmarsh grass in all high marsh zones. Less common species in the upper marsh communities include endemics such as Limonium californicum (Plumbaginaceae) and Suaeda californica (Chenopodiaceae). In the more brackish zones Scirpus acutus and Typha latifolia predominate, while the associated species include the endemic Scirpus californicus (Cyperaceae) and in more southern areas the endemic Anemopsis californicus (Saururaceae) is locally abundant.

References

Barbour, M. G. 1977. Terrestrial Vegetation of California. John Wiley and Sons.

Lewis, H. 1972. The origin of endemics in the Californian flora. In: Taxonomy, Phytogeography and Evolution. Ed. D. H. Valentine. Academic Press.

Minckley, W. L. & Brown, D. E. 1982. Californian maritime and Interior Marshes. In: Desert Plants.  Biotic communities of the American southwest United States and Mexico. Ed. D. E. Brown. University of Arizona.

Minckley, W. L. & Brown, D. E. 1982. Californian maritime Strands. In: Desert Plants.  Biotic communities of the American southwest United States and Mexico. Ed. D. E. Brown. University of Arizona.

Mooney, H. A. 1977. Southern Coastal Scrub. In: Terrestrial Vegetation of California. Eds. M. G. Barbour and J. Major. John Wiley & Sons.

Pase, C. P. & Brown, D. E. 1982. Californian (Coastal) Chaparral. In: Desert Plants.  Biotic communities of the American southwest United States and Mexico. Ed. D. E. Brown. University of Arizona.

Qian, H. 1999. Floristic analysis of vascular plant genera of North America north of Mexico: characterization and phytogeography. Journal of Biogeography, 26: 1307-1321.

Ricketts, T. h. et al. 1999. Terrestrial Ecosystems of North America - a conservation assessment. World Wildlife Fund, USA and Canada. Island Press, Washington.

Shevock, J. R. 1996. Status of rare and endemic plants. U. S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, San Francisco, California.

Sims, P. L. 1989. Grasslands.  In: North American Terrestrial Vegetation. Eds M. G. Barbour and W. D. Billings.  Cambridge University Press.

Stebbins, G. L. & Major, J. 1960. Endemism and speciation in the Californian flora. Ecological Monographs. 35: 1-35.