Plant Communities

Common Plant Communities of the Table Rocks

There are four major plant communities or habitats that you will pass through as you hike.

Each habitat has a different type of soil or geological history. Therefore, each area supports different types of plant species.

As you hike, watch for changes in the surrounding plant communities. The plants will change as you climb through the oak savanna, chaparral, mixed woodland and mounded prairie/vernal pools. Click below to see common plants within each community.

Oak Savanna

Oak Savanna

This savanna or grassland was once covered with native bunch grasses and now is dominated by nonnative grasses and colorful wildflowers. This species is recognized by its rounded lobed leaves, whitish bark, and round acorns. more >>

Chaparral

Chaparral

The chaparral is a shrub association dominated by buckbrush and white-leaf manzanita. Patches of chaparral occur as the dominant vegetation, or as an understory beneath the savanna or woodland. more >>

Mixed Woodland

Mixed Woodlands

The mixed woodland habitat consists of a combination of Ponderosa pine, madrone, Douglas-fir, and numerous other plant species. This community could further be divided into oak-pine and mixed hardwood-conifer woodland communities. more >>

Mounded Prairie/Vernal Pools

Mounded Prairie/Vernal Pools

The mounded prairie habitat is unique and delicate. A thin layer of granular rock fragments covers impermeable volcanic rock which allows water to collect seasonally in depressions creating what is known as vernal pools. more >>