Plant Communities of Santa Cruz County
Northern Maritime Chaparral (37C10)
Description
Northern Maritime Chaparral
forms a nearly impenetrable shrub cover composed of several species of
manzanitas, wild lilac, and chamise. In some places, silver-leaved manzanita
forms the dominant vegetation, giving the hillsides a grey cast in spring
and summer. This silvery chaparral has been called "Sand Chaparral." Silver-leaved
manzanita is one of the manzanitas that do not sprout from a ground-level
swelling or burl following a fire, relying instead on fire-stimulated seed
germination to renew vegetation. It typically grows to heights of 8 to
12 feet in the Ben Lomond sand hills, and taller in the Bonny Doon area.
Several localized annual plants are associated with the Sand Chaparral,
including two tiny annual monkeyflowers.
Associated Plants
scientific name
|
common name
|
| Adenostoma fasciculatum |
Chamise |
| Arctostaphlos silvicola |
Silverleaf manazanita |
| Ceanothus cuneatus |
Buck brush |
| Eriodictyon californicum |
Yerba Santa |
| Mimulus androcaceus |
|
| Mimulus rattanii |
Monkeyflower (annual) |
| Salvia mellifera |
Black sage |
|
