List of plants of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)

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Sierra Nevada (U.S.)

The

Sierra Nevada, also known locally as the "Sierra", is a mountain range running 400 miles (640 km) north-to-south along eastern California, and occasionally into western Nevada. The name "Sierra Nevada" is Spanish
, translating as "Snowy (Mountain) Range".

Geography

The Sierra Nevada's immense size in length and height, geological age, and wide variety of ecosystems and habitats present, make them home to one of the most diverse collections of distinct plant species in the United States. The Sierras are bordered by: the Great Basin in rain shadow on the east; the Cascade Range on the north; the Central Valley—San Joaquin Valley on the west; the Tehachapi Mountains linking the Transverse Ranges on the southwest; and the Mojave Desert on the south.

Phytogeography

In

Rocky Mountain Floristic Province
to the north, the Great Basin Floristic Province to the east, and Sonoran Floristic Province to the south.

Biogeography

Biogeography looks at the spatial and temporal distributions of species. A descending hierarchy is used, with a realms at the top, then biomes, followed by smaller terrestrial ecoregions. The Sierra Nevada are a small part of the North American continental Nearctic realm. The Sierras contain portions of two Nearctic biomes:

Plants and distributions

Foothill Woodland and Chaparral
Zone

500 to 3,000 feet (200 to 900 m)
Further information: California interior chaparral and woodlands and California oak woodland

Eastern Slopes Great Basin xeric zone

Lower Montane Forest

General Sherman tree (Sequoiadendron giganteum
)
2,000 to 6,000 feet (600 to 1,800 m)
Arctostaphylos patula
Carex utriculata, Hamilton Lake, Sequoia National Park

Upper Montane Forest

Berries of the Sierra Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)
6,000 to 9,000 feet (1,800 to 2,700 m)
Further information: Sierra Nevada upper montane forest
Sarcodes sanguinea

Subalpine Zone

Pinus balfouriana
8,000 to 11,000 feet (2,400 to 3,400 m)
Further information: Sierra Nevada subalpine zone

Alpine Zone

Polemonium eximium
above 9,000 feet (2,700 m)
Further information: Flora of the Sierra Nevada alpine zone

See also

References and bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Sierra Nevada flora (category)
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