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California's varied topography, climate and soils have given rise to a remarkable diversity of habitats, with a corresponding diversity of both plant and animal species. The ENC showcases representative plants from 15 of California's plant communities, although it does not come close to representing all of California's amazing biodiversity!

Download the ENC's Plant Communities Guide to learn about California's flora or click on the links below to learn about each plant community.

Topography
Geological and climatic forces have created California's topography and soils. Glaciation, sedimentary and volcanic deposits, movement along fault zones, the uplift of subterranean rock and sediment layers, and gradual erosion have created unique topographical features and an assortment of disparate bedrock and soil types.

Habitats
California's extensive range of latitude, along with the varied landscape features, climatic conditions, and geological substrates and soils that exist here has yielded a tremendous diversity of habitats, including alpine meadows, desert scrub, coastal wetlands, sandy beaches, dunes and bluffs, oak woodlands, diverse grasslands, moist redwood forests, spring-fed lakes, and freshwater streams, rivers, and marshes.

The factors that determine where and how a particular plant species grows are:

• Weather, including precipitation, temperature and wind
• Climate, including elevation, humidity, sunlight, heating effects and evaporation rates
• Substrate, including rock and shallow, sandy, loamy or muddy soil
• Local Effects, including fire, soil creep, frozen winter soil and disturbances from burrowing animals and human activities

Plants adapt to combinations of these factors by growing specialized leaves, bark, stem tissues and roots. With its exceptional range of these factors, California has more species than any other state in the US, as well as the greatest number of endemic (existing nowhere else) species. As a result, California is one of the top "hotspots" for biodiversity in the world.