ground); Seaside Woolly Sunflower (Eriophyllum staechadi folium, 

 Compositae); Salal {Gaultheria shallon, Ericaceae); Coastal Eriog- 

 onum (Eriogonum latifolium, Polygonaceae); and Suksdorf s 

 Sagebrush {Artemisia suksdorfii, Compositae). Herbs include the 

 large Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum, Umbelliferae); Pearly 

 Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea, Compositae); and Seaside 

 Daisy (Erigeron glaucus, Compositae). 



Closed-Cone Pine Forest (Plate 6B, D; Map 4) 



One interesting plant community that occurs inland from the 

 plant communities of the immediate coast is the Closed-Cone Pine 

 Forest plant community. This coniferous plant community is 

 sporadically distributed along the coast from extreme northern 

 California southward to Santa Barbara County. In the northern 

 part of its range, the Closed-Cone Pine Forest occurs on the sea- 

 ward side of the North Coastal forest and often extends well out 

 on the coastal bluffs. The climatic regime of this plant community 

 is similar to that of the coastward portions of the North Coastal 

 Forest. Winters and summers are temperate, frosts are rare, and 

 rainfall varies from 20 to 60 inches (51 to 152 cm) per year. Ad- 

 ditional precipitation may occur as a result of fog drip, particu- 

 larly in the northern portion of the area occupied by this plant 

 community. Soils of the Closed-Cone Pine Forest generally are 

 somewhat less fertile than those of the North Coastal Forest. 



Characteristic coniferous tree species of the Closed-Cone Pine 

 Forest plant community are Bishop Pine {Pinus muricata, Plate 

 6B), Beach Pine (P. contorta), Monterey Pine (P. radiata), and 

 various cypresses such as Pygmy Cypress (Cupressus pygmaea), 

 Gowen Cypress (C goveniana), and Monterey Cypress (C macro- 

 carpa). Bishop Pine, Beach Pine, and Pygmy Cypress commonly 

 occur in this community north of San Francisco Bay, and Mon- 

 terey Pine, Monterey Cypress, and Gowen Cypress occur only 

 south of the Bay. The term "closed-cone" comes from the fact 

 that the cones of the pines in this forest do not open at maturity 

 but remain closed for several years after maturation, and then 

 gradually open and disperse seeds. 



Although generally not a member of the Closed-Cone Pine 

 Forest plant community, another closed-cone pine in California 



82 



