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Spotlight on Diversity
Floristic Provinces
Look
at a map and find the intersection of Kern, Tulare, and Inyo Counties
you will be looking at a transition zone of
amazing diversity.
The Holarctic
Kingdom of North America contains ten Floristic Provinces which are
defined as regions where at least 50% of the species are endemic.
“Endemic” signifies that a species has a limited geographic
distribution. The terms floristic provinces, biotas and biomes are
virtually the same. All are defined as unique assemblages of floras
and faunas associated with a specific climate and geographic region.
Bioregions are more narrowly defined regions that are restricted by
specific types of plants and animals although the number and
description keeps changing depending on which group you speak with
(which is why I choose not to use the term).
Our area
falls within the Madrean Subkingdom of the Holarctic Kingdom with three provinces: Great Basin
Province, Californian Province, and the Sonoran Province. The desert
portions of Kern County fall mostly within the Mojavean Subprovince of
the Sonoran Province.
North America
has between 18,000 - 20,000 native species of plants. California has
more than one quarter of the national total at 5,500 species. The three
counties, Kern, Inyo and Tulare each have between 2,375 and 2,505 native
species. There is an overlap of up to 75% of species between counties, but at least 588 species are endemic to small regions within
each county.
 The
Californian Floristic Province is the largest region in the state with
most of the varied habitats. The Californian province has grasslands,
shrublands, woodlands and forests all of which occur in Kern County.
Considered a Mediterranean climate, the winters are relatively cool
and wet with rain falling at low elevations and snow at high
elevations. Summers are relatively warm to hot and dry depending on
elevation. The coastal region is the exception with cool moist summers
due to an onshore fog belt. Rain varies from less than 5 inches in the
Southern San Joaquin Valley to over 100 inches in the rainforests of
Siskiyou County.
 The Mojave
Desert Subprovince includes all of eastern Kern County, most of San
Bernardino County and the southeastern portion of Inyo County. The subprovince is characterized by relatively cool, dry winters and
relatively hot, dry summers with 2-12 inches of mostly winter rain and
some summer monsoonal rain. The growing season is from early
spring to late fall (March to November
 Although
the Great Basin Desert Province only touches Kern County by its
transitional influence, it allows for an interesting mix of plants and
animals in northeastern Kern. The province is found in California East
of the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada, and north of the Mojave
Desert. It is characterized by relatively cold, dry winters and hot,
dry summers. The precipitation amounts to between 2-15 inches and
falls mostly as winter snow. The growing season runs from late spring
to late summer (May to September). |
