both Compositae) in California. Their restricted distribution is 

 probably a result of the newness of these species. They have not 

 yet developed the genetic variability to allow them to expand 

 their ranges, and in many cases it is unlikely that they will expand 

 their ranges because of the unavailabihty of suitable habitats. 



A number of Cahfornia endemic plant species are being pre- 

 served in state parks or other areas. In addition, native plant 

 gardens at Rancho Santa Ana (Claremont), Santa Barbara, Uni- 

 versity of California (Berkeley), and Tilden Park (Berkeley) also 

 contain a number of rare and endangered species. Although it is 

 relatively easy to maintain perennial plants in these gardens, 

 maintaining stocks of annuals presents difficulties, since these 

 must be grown from seed each year. The California Native Plant 

 Society, headquartered in Berkeley, is an organization actively 

 involved in the preservation of the native flora of the state. 



Flora and Vegetation 



The term vegetation refers to the life-forms or general aspect 

 of the plants of an area. On the other hand, information about 

 the flora of an area (that is, the kinds of plants there) tells you 

 what plant species occur there, but does not communicate much 

 information concerning the "looks" of the plant cover of an 

 area, i.e., whether the area is densely forested, a grassland, or a 

 parklike woodland. For example, the flora of California's Kern 

 County consist of slightly over 1700 plant species, but the Ust 

 of these species does not give much of an idea concerning the 

 nature of the plant cover of the county. The vegetation of Kern 

 County, however, consists of a variety of different types such as 

 grassland, pine forest, and freshwater marshes, and these descrip- 

 tive terms provide more information as to what the dominant 

 plants of the area are (e.g., grasses vs. pine trees). However, note 

 that "pine forest" as a term can refer to forests dominated by 

 pine trees over much of the northern hemisphere: the kinds of 

 pine trees at Point Reyes (Bishop Pines), for example, are dif- 

 ferent from those of the White Mountains (Bristlecone Pines). 

 Thus, with respect to pines, the floras of these two areas are 

 different even though their vegetation type might be considered 

 the same. 



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