An open forest (or more accurately, woodland) of scattered Pinus coultieri and Quercus kelloggii over shrubs typically associated with Upper Sonoran Mixed Chaparral (37100). Some stands are dense enough to suppress the shrubby layer. Most growth occurs in spring and early summer.
SITE FACTORS:
Typically on dry, rocky soils of slopes and ridges. Most frequent on south-facing slopes, frequently intermixing there with Californian Mixed Chaparral or Lower Montane Chaparral (37510). Subject to fairly frequent fires on these sites. In the Coast Ranges intergrades with Coast Range Mixed Conifer Forest (84110), Coast Range Ponderosa Pine Forest (84130), or Mixed Evergreen Forest (81100) on moist sites; Blue Oak Woodland (71140) on low-elevation, dry sites; Knobcone Pine Forest (83210) on dry, sterile soils. In southern California, frequently merges into Sierran Mixed Conifer Forest (84230) at its upper limits. Fire exclusion may be facilitating conversion of some oak woodlands to Coulter pine stands, as in the Gabilan Range.
DISTRIBUTION:
Widely scattered, though fragmented, throughout the South Coast Ranges from Contra Costa County south into Baja California. Elevations vary from 2,500-5,000 feet in the north, to 4,000-6,500 feet in the south. Best developed in San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountains.
UPDATE: 10/86
Source: Holland, 1986
Digital Text: NatureBase