Chaparral is best known as a thick coating of shrubs and small trees inpenetrably covering an area. Some plants which often make up chaparral are
chamise, scrub
oak.
manzanita,
chinquapin,
ceanothus,
baccarus and
sage. Chaparral is one of the most dominant and widespread vegetation types of
California and I am sure it exists elsewhere as well. Chaparral prefers rather dry areas, although it does need a certain amount of winter rain to keep it going. It is generally found on slopes of the
San Bernadino Mountains, the
San Gabriel Mountains, the
Santa Ana Mountains, the
Santa Monica Mountains, the
Central Coast Ranges and lower western slopes of the
Sierra. Chaparral is charactarized by plants with
waxy small leaves full of various oils. This makes chaparral extremely flammable. Most of these plants are very adapted to
fire; after a fire they will sprout from the roots and resume growing as if nothing has happened. However these fires are rather hot-burning and fast moving and are detrimental to human
habitation. Keep this in mind before you buy a house nestled in chaparral.
chaparral areas can be pleasant places to visit, but you have to do it at the right time of the year. Stay away from chaparral in the summer, most places it grows get pretty damn hot. If you are there in the fall and see any smoke , get the hell out of there, especially if a santa ana wind is blowing. I suggest visiting in the spring or late winter between storms when the ceanothus is blooming. At these times its really nice. But forget traveling cross country because you wont be able to get more than 3 feet off of the trail.