A dense, heterogeneous, sclerophyllous thicket dominated by Ceanothus cordulatus, Chrysolepis sempervirens, and any of several species of Arctostaphylos or Ceanothus. Understories typically are very sparse except in the few years immediately following fire. Most plants are under 5 feet tall. Canopies usually are not quite closed.
SITE FACTORS:
Steep, usually south-facing slopes in the coniferous forest zones. Much of the annual precipitation comes as snow, leading to shorter growing seasons (and hence, slower post-fire recovery) than in lower elevation chaparrals. Some of these sites appear to be edaphic disclimaxes (due to shallow, rocky soil) rather than seral stages such as in many Montane Ceanothus Chaparrals (37530).
DISTRIBUTION:
Widely scattered in the Sierran foothills, the cooler heights of the Coast Ranges and the Transverse and Peninsular ranges of southern California, typically between 4,000 and 11,000 feet.
UPDATE: 11/97
Source: Holland, 1986
Digital Text: NatureBase