Valley and Foothill Woodland (Plate 9A-C; Map 4) 



Large areas of the valleys and eastern slopes of the North and 

 South Coast Ranges, the valleys of interior southern California, 

 and the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada are occupied by 

 the Valley and Foothill Woodland plant community. This plant 

 community occurs at elevations ranging from 300 or more feet 

 (100 m or more) above sea level to as high as 5,000 feet (1 ,524 

 m) in southern California. It is characterized by scattered trees 

 with an undergrowth that may consist almost exclusively of her- 

 baceous plants, especially grasses, and scattered low shrubs; in 

 some areas (the phase characterized by Munz and Keck as Foot- 

 hill Woodland) the trees may be rather dense, with scattered 

 shrubs underneath them. Variations in appearance of this plant 

 community depend to some extent upon its location as well as 

 upon its species composition. 



In some areas, the Valley and Foothill Woodland is dominated 

 chiefly by oaks, such as Garry Oak (Quercus garryana), Valley 

 Oak (Q. lobata). Blue Oak {Q. douglasii), Engelmann Oak {Q. 

 engelmannii), and live oaks such as Coast Live Oak {Q. agrifolid) 

 and Interior Live Oak {Q. wislizenii). Other trees present may be 

 Digger Pine {Pinus sabiniana), with its peculiarly forked trunks 

 and massive cones, the attractive California Buckeye (Aesculus 

 calif omica, Hippocastanaceae), and the Southern California 

 Walnut (Juglans califomica, Juglandaceae). Understory plants are 

 species that occur also in Valley Grassland or in Chaparral. 



Valley Grassland (Plates 9D; lOA, B; Map 2) 



In many respects the Valley and Foothill Woodland may be 

 considered as a plant community that is transitional between the 

 true forest communities (such as North Coast Forest or Montane 

 Forest) of upland areas or coastal moist areas and the treeless 

 grassland communities of the valleys represented in California by 

 the Valley Grassland. The Valley Grassland plant community 

 occupies (or occupied) most of the floor of the Central Valley. 

 This plant community is one which has been greatly reduced in 



97 



