Description

MLRA 19 is considered the Citrus Belt of California. This area, which is entirely in California, is characterized by both the gently sloping to strongly sloping, dissected coastal and alluvial plains as well as the steep, erosive hills and mountains of the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges in Southern California (which were formerly MLRA 20, Southern California Mountains). It consists primarily of annual and perennial grasslands, coastal scrub and chaparral shrublands, and coast live oak savannahs and woodlands. The numerous narrow valleys interspersed throughout have similar characteristics. MLRA 19 has a gradual boundary with MLRA 15 to the north. MLRA 15 is characterized by the geologically complex, gently sloping to steep, low-elevation Coast Ranges that primarily support oak woodlands, oak savannahs, chaparral, and grasslands. To the east, MLRA 19 has a rapid transition to MLRA 30 as soil temperature increases and precipitation decreases, which result in the dominance of creosote bush and white bursage.