The
Sierra Nevada, also known locally as the "Sierra", is a
mountain range running 400 miles (640 km) north-to-south along eastern
California, and occasionally into western
Nevada. The name "Sierra Nevada" is
Spanish, translating as "Snowy (Mountain) Range".
Biogeography looks at the spatial and temporal distributions of species. A descending hierarchy is used, with a
realms at the top, then
biomes, followed by smaller
terrestrial ecoregions. The Sierra Nevada are a small part of the North American continental
Nearctic realm. The Sierras contain portions of two Nearctic biomes:
The valleys and mountains higher up are in the Nearctic
temperate coniferous forests biome: which is represented here by the Sierra Nevada Forests ecoregion.
Plants and distributions
This list of
native plants is organized by elevational distribution ranges and their
plant communities. Some plants with a broader altitudinal range are found listed in their predominant habitat elevation.
All the plant species listed are
native to the Sierra's foothills, valleys, and mountains. In addition some are also
endemic to here and elsewhere within California - (ca-endemic); and some are further endemic to and only found in the Sierra Nevada - (sn-endemic).