Plants

Plant Diversity of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is rich in both vascular plants (including wildflowers, grasses, ferns, and trees and shrubs) and non-vascular plants (such as mosses, liverworts, and hornworts). This extraordinary diversity is influenced by the park's location within the Klamath Mountain physiographic province, as well as its proximity to the Cascade Mountains, Coast Range, and Sacramento Valley. Whiskeytown’s varied elevation, rugged terrain, soil diversity, and history of natural and human disturbances also contribute to its abundance of species.

Plant Communities of Whiskeytown

The plant communities in Whiskeytown often blend together with indistinct boundaries across the landscape. These communities are generally grouped into seven broad categories:

• Knobcone Pine
• Chaparral
• Mixed Oak Woodlands
• Blue Oak Grasslands
• Ponderosa Pine
• Mixed Conifer
• Riparian

Each of these plant communities supports unique species and plays an essential role in the ecological richness of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.