A moderate to dense, shoulder-high scrub dominated by Atriplex polycarpa, Ephedra californica, and Isomeris arborea, usually with a grassy understory dominated by [Bromus rubens].
SITE FACTORS:
Rolling to hilly, dissected alluvial fans and uplands with sandy to loamy, non-alkaline soils. Hot, rainless summers; cool dry winters without tule fog. Changes abruptly to Valley Saltbush Scrub (36220) where soils become alkaline. Much of this community has been type-converted to Non-native Grassland (42200) by year-round grazing.
DISTRIBUTION:
Base of the Inner South Coast Ranges from near Pacheco Pass south to around Maricopa, from the top of the tule fog to about 2,000 feet.
UPDATE: 11/97
Source: Holland, 1986
Digital Text: NatureBase