Summary
Included here is all parts of California experiencing a Mediterranean type climate. The Central Valley forms the heartland of this area but also included are some of the surrounding mountains such as the inner north coast ranges, the south coast ranges, the transverse ranges and the western foothills and lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Mountains.
The list of endemic and near endemic vascular plant taxa presented here is not exhaustive and further information is required but it does include all 53 endemic genera (marked red) and the endemic family Limnanthaceae. The total number of endemic species is reported to be about 2000 but only about 725 are listed here. These include about 283 genera in 78 families.
This list has been compiled with the help of Ed Alverson (Oregon).
References
Lewis, H. 1972. The origin of endemics in the Californian flora. In: Taxonomy, Phytogeography and Evolution. Ed. D. H. Valentine. Academic Press.
Qian, H. 1999. Floristic analysis of vascular plant genera of North America north of Mexico: characterization and phytogeography. Journal of Biogeography, 26: 1307-1321.
Raven, P. H. & Axelrod, D. I. 1978. Origin and Relationships of the California Flora. University of California Press, California.
Shevock, J. R. 1996. Status of rare and endemic plants. U. S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, San Francisco, California.
Stebbins, G. L. & Major, J. 1960. Endemism and speciation in the Californian flora. Ecological Monographs. 35: 1-35.