Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low

scrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, Herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or ...

plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is within the

California chaparral and woodlands The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of southwestern Oregon, northern, central, and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. It is a ...

ecoregion, of the

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in ...

biome.

Characteristics

;Plant community Coastal sage scrub is characterized by low-growing aromatic, and drought-deciduous shrubs adapted to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the coastal lowlands. The community is sometimes called "soft

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

" due to the predominance of soft, drought-deciduous leaves in contrast to the hard, waxy-cuticled leaves on sclerophyllous plants of California's chaparral communities. ;Flora Characteristic shrubs and subshrubs include: * California sagebrush (''Artemisia californica'') * Black sage (''Salvia mellifera'') *

White sage ''Salvia apiana'', the white sage, bee sage, or sacred sage is an evergreen perennial shrub that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, found mainly in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja C ...

(''Salvia apiana'') *

California buckwheat ''Eriogonum fasciculatum'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names California buckwheat and flat-topped buckwheat. Characterized by small, white and pink flower clusters that give off a cottony effect, this species grows vari ...

(''Eriogonum fasciculatum'') * Coast brittle-bush (''Encelia californica'') * Golden yarrow (''Eriophyllum confertifolium'') Larger shrubs include: * Toyon (''Heteromeles arbutifolia'') *

Lemonade berry ''Rhus integrifolia'', also known as lemonade sumac, lemonade berry, or lemonadeberry, is a shrub to small tree. It is native to the Transverse Ranges, Transverse and Peninsular Ranges and the South Coast (California), South Coast regions of S ...

(''Rhus integrifolia'') Herbaceous plants, grasses, and in some locales,

cacti A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

and

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

s, are also part of the flora.

Hesperoyucca whipplei ''Hesperoyucca whipplei'' ( syn. ''Yucca whipplei''), the chaparral yucca, our Lord's candle, Spanish bayonet, Quixote yucca or foothill yucca, is a species of flowering plant closely related to, and formerly usually included in, the genus ''Yucc ...

, colloquially known as Chaparral Yucca, is commonplace throughout the climate zone.

Geographical subtypes

The coastal sage scrub plant community is divided into three geographical subtypes — northern coastal scrub, southern coastal scrub, and maritime succulent scrub. The coastal scrub communities are divided into three regions: # Northern Coastal Scrub and Coastal Prairie, which lies in San Luis Obispo to Oregon. # Coastal Sage scrub, which lies in

Ensenada, Baja California Ensenada is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on the Bahía de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the third-largest city in Baja California. The ...

to Monterey. # Maritime Succulent Scrub, which can be found in the San Diego County to Baja California. # The Northern Coastal Scrub consists of prairie, which is terraces with deep

alluvial soils Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Allu ...

, and scrub, which is found on steeper slopes and ravine areas. Evergreen shrubs and subshrubs, which are soft leaves. They are found in semi-open with a height of 2–3 meters, with multiple layers. Some examples of the plant species that can be found are Bush monkeyflower (''

Mimulus aurantiacus ''Diplacus aurantiacus'', the sticky monkey-flower or orange bush monkey-flower, is a flowering plant that grows in a subshrub form, native to southwestern North America from southwestern Oregon south through most of California. It is a member of ...

''), Poison oak ( ''Taxicodendron'' ''diversilobum''), Coffee berry ( ''Frangula'' ''californica''), Golden yarrow ( ''Eriophyllum'' ''confertiflorum''). California sagebrush ('' Artemisia californica'') can be found in Coastal Sage Scrub community, especially in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

. Some other plant species that can be found is also Giant coreopsis (''

Coreopsis gigantea ''Coreopsis gigantea'', known by the common name giant coreopsis, is a woody perennial plant native to coastal regions of central and southern California and also to northern Baja California. Description The stem of ''Coreopsis gigantea'' is a t ...

''), Black sage ('' Salvia mellifera''), California buckwheat ('' Eriogonoum fasciculatum)'', and White sage ('' Salvia apiana''). Plant species that can be found in Maritime Succulent Scrub is Coast prickly pear ('' Opuntia littoralis''), Coast barrel cactus (''

Ferocactus viridescens ''Ferocactus viridescens'' is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae. This rare barrel cactus is known by several common names, including coast barrel cactus, keg cactus and San Diego barrel cactus. Most of its native range ...

''), Cliff spurge (''

Euphorbia misera ''Euphorbia misera'' is a semi-Succulent plant, succulent shrub in the genus ''Euphorbia'' commonly known as the cliff spurge or coast spurge. A Drought deciduous, drought-deciduous shrub, it is typically found as a gnarled, straggly plant occupy ...

''), Bush rue (''

Cneoridium dumosum ''Cneoridium'' is a monotypic genus in the citrus family which contains the single species ''Cneoridium dumosum'', commonly known as bushrue or coast spice bush. This perennial, evergreen shrub is native to the coast of southern California and B ...

''), and Dudleya spp.

Northern coastal scrub

Northern coastal scrub occurs along the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...

from the northern San Francisco Bay Area to southern Oregon. It frequently forms a landscape mosaic with the

California coastal prairie California coastal prairie, also known as northern coastal grassland, is a grassland plant community of California and Oregon in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. It is found along the Pacific Coast, from as far south as L ...

plant community. The predominant plants are low evergreen

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s. Characteristic shrubs include coyote brush (''Baccharis pilularis''), yerba santa (''Eriodictyon californicum''), coast silk-tassel (''Garrya elliptica''), salal (''Gaultheria shallon''), and

yellow bush lupine ''Lupinus arboreus'', the yellow bush lupine (US) or tree lupin (UK), is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. Description ''Lupinus arboreus'' is an evergreen shrub growing to tall (hence the alternative common name, tree ...

(''Lupinus arboreus''). Herbaceous species include

western blue-eyed grass ''Sisyrinchium bellum'', the western blue-eyed grass or Californian blue-eyed grass, is the common blue-eyed grass of California and Oregon in and west of the Sierra Nevada, its range extending south into Baja California. In parts of its range, ...

(''Sisyrinchium bellum''), Douglas iris (''Iris douglasiana''), and grasses.

Southern coastal scrub

Southern coastal scrub is mostly found along the maritime Central Coast region, and the terraces and mountains with coastal climate influence in Southern California. Its distribution extends from the southwestern San Francisco Bay Area in the north, through

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

, Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Oxnard Plain, the Los Angeles Basin, most of

, parts of Riverside County, coastal San Diego County, and the northwestern region of Baja California state in Mexico, including the areas around Tijuana and Ensenada. Torrey Pine Grove

;Southern California The metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tijuana are located in the southern coastal scrublands, and most of the scrublands have been lost to urbanization and agriculture. The plants of this community prefer the mild maritime climates found along Southern California's coastline. World Wildlife Fund estimates that only 15 percent of the coastal sage scrublands remain undeveloped. Some of the remaining southern coastal scrub in Los Angeles County can be found in dunes under the takeoff path at Los Angeles International Airport—LAX, in the coastal Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and at the Robert J. Bernard Field Station at the Claremont Colleges. In San Diego County, the

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

protects larger areas, and the

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...

has vernal pools and the endemic mint ''

Pogogyne abramsii ''Pogogyne abramsii'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name San Diego mesa mint. Distribution It is endemic to San Diego County, California, where it is known only from a few sites at vernal pools in ...

''. One of the largest remaining areas of inland coastal sage scrub is found in the

Temescal Mountains Temescal Mountains, also known as the Sierra Temescal (Spanish for " sweat lodge range"), are one of the northernmost mountain ranges of the Peninsular Ranges in western Riverside County, in Southern California in the United States. They extend ...

of Riverside County. A few rare and

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

occur in southern coastal scrub habitats. For example, the coastal California gnatcatcher (''Polioptila californica californica'') is a threatened bird species endemic to the coastal sage scrublands. Other endemic fauna includes the El Segundo blue butterfly in the LAX dunes; and the Palos Verdes blue butterfly (''Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis''), at only one site on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The endangered

Torrey pine The Torrey pine (''Pinus torreyana'') is a rare pine species in California, United States. It is a critically endangered species growing only in coastal San Diego County, and on Santa Rosa Island, offshore from Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara ...

(''Pinus torreyana'') is the dominant tree at Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego, one of only two known stands of this pine species.

Notes

References

* In: Mayer KE and Laudenslayer WF. ''A Guide to Wildlife Habitats of California''. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Fish and Game
"Coastal Scrub"
de Becker, Sally. (1988). * Schoenherr, Allan A. (1992). ''A Natural History of California''. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

External links

*

* ttp://www.biosbcc.net/b100plant/htm/soft.htm Santa Barbara College, Biology Dept: "Soft Chaparral or Coastal Sage Scrub Community"br>Calflora Database — Southern California Plant Communities
— ''see #4. Coastal sage scrub''.
Claremont Colleges: Robert J. Bernard Field Station website
— ''Lists and photographs of organisms found in Coastal sage scrub''.
Las Pilitas horticulture database: California coastal sage scrub plant community
— ''text, images, species links''.
Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants: Native Plant Guides
— ''Southern California species''. {{clear California chaparral and woodlands Plant communities of California Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub in the United States Ecoregions of California Plant communities of the West Coast of the United States Natural history of Baja California *Coast * *