Plants

Smokey mariposa lily

Tye Hafner

Extreme topographic differences and a striking elevation gradient (ranging from 1,360 feet (412 m) in the foothills to 14,494 feet (4,417 m) along the Sierran crest) create a rich tapestry of environments, from the hot, dry lowlands along the western boundary to the stark and snow-covered alpine high country.

This topographic diversity in turn supports over 1,200 species (and more than 1,550 taxa, including subspecies and varieties) of vascular plants, which make up dozens of unique plant communities. These include not only the renowned groves of massive giant sequoia, but also vast tracts of montane forests, spectacular alpine habitats, and oak woodlands and chaparral.

The richness of the Sierran flora mirrors that of the state as a whole--of the nearly 6,000 species of vascular plants known to occur in California, over 20% of them can be found within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

 

Graphic representation of Sierra Nevada vegetation zones from the oak woodlands and chaparral shrubland in the low-elevation foothills, to mid-elevation montane forests, subalpine forests that extend to the upper limit of tree growth, and the alpine zone that includes perennial herbs and shrubs.

Illustration by Justin Hofman and Meryl Goldin Rose

Vegetation Zones

While the parks' vegetation is diverse and complex, it can be categorized broadly into the following zones:

• Foothills (includes oak woodland and chaparral shrubland)

• Montane Forests (lower to mid-elevation conifer forests)

• Subalpine (forest that extends to the limit of tree growth - treeline)

• Alpine (perennial plants that grow at the highest elevations)

Vegetation changes dramatically along a west-east elevation gradient from the lowest elevation oak woodlands up to ancient foxtail pines, stunted whitebark pine, and alpine perennial herbs at the highest elevations. Visit the links below to learn more about these vegetation zones.

 

Foothills Vegetation

The foothills oak woodlands and chaparral shrublands are habitat for a variety of plants and animals. Visit in spring to see wildflowers.

Montane Forest

Ponderosa pine are at the lower range of the montane forest and benefit from periodic fire. Giant sequoias also grow in montane forests.

Subalpine Forest

Whitebark pines are characteristic of the Sierra subalpine forests. Learn more about these and other treeline pines. Photo by Peggy Moore.

Alpine

This showy sky pilot plant grows in rocky areas above 11,000 feet. Alpine plants must be tough to endure cold temperatures, wind, and snow.

 

Many plants or types of vegetation occur across a range of elevation zones. Learn more about wetlands, invasive non-native plants, and plants of conservation concern and how park managers inventory, monitor, and manage them.

 

Wetlands

Learn more about why wetlands and meadows are so important.

Invasive Non-native Plants

Non-native plants crowd out natives, changing habitats. Find out what we're doing to reduce impacts.

Plants of Conservation Concern

We're working to learn more about plants in these parks that are rare, at the edge of their range, or have a limited distribution.

 

More Information

Use the NPSpecies tool below to get park plant and animal checklists. Be aware that species lists and taxonomy are dynamic and some of the lists in this database may need to be updated.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

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Select a Species Category (optional):

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Species attribute definitions

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Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.