VEGETATION AND ENVIRONMENT IN CALIFORNIA 225 



varying size and aspect, and in the larger valleys there are broad 

 alluvial fans. There is a coast indented to some extent by bays, 

 and made irregular by bold capes, promontories, or jutting penin- 

 sulas, all of which may have different, and possibly peculiar 

 exposures to the winds, to the sun, and to the fogs. In brief the 

 surface of the state is moulded and modified in numberless ways 

 and the general result of this great diversity, from the present 

 point of view, is to increase the specialization of the environment 

 mainly, it may be, through its influence on the climate. 



THE FLORAL PROVINCES 



California is naturally divisible into a few provinces, which may 

 be briefly characterized. These comprise in general the mountains 

 the \alleys, and the desert basins. 



The mountainous provinces include the Sierra Nevadas, the 

 Coast Ranges, and those of the southern portion of the state, of 

 which the San Bernadinos and the San Jacintos are possibly, 

 the most important, 



The Sierras constitute an immense uplift 450 miles, or over, 

 in length. Here the mean annual temperatures range according 

 to altitude from 40° to 55°, or 60° F., and the mean rainfall 35 to 

 75 inches. In certain altitudes snow has been recorded in ten 

 months of the year. 



The mountains bordering on the sea extend from the northern 

 boundary of the state for about two-thirds of the state's length. 

 They are naturally divided into two sections, namely those to 

 the north of the Golden Gate and those to the south. The 

 climate of the northern mountains is colder and with a greater 

 precipitation than those of the south. The rainfall at Eureka, on 

 the North Coast, varies between 35.9 and 62.2 inches, and the 

 me^n temperature is 55° F. Taking a coast station to the south 

 of San Francisco Bay, such as San Luis Obispo, we find that the 

 annual precipitation varies between 16.9 and 28.1 inches. The 

 temperature ranges between 26° and 106°F. At Carmel the 

 rainfall varies between 13 and 28 inches as the extremes, and 

 the usual temperature extremes range from 40° to 75°F. In the 



