La Jolla Valley
Map SatelliteLying wholly within the Point Mugu State Park is La Jolla Valley which supports one of the best extant stands of the California prairie grassland that once covered perhaps a quarter of the State. In the valley there are several solid stands of Nassella pulchra, and in the adjacent canyon there are mixed stands of Nassella pulchra and Stipa lepida (= Nassella sp.). At the north end of the valley are other elements of the prairie grassland, with Hemizonia fasciculata dominant.
Other plants include Melica imperfecta, Vulpia microstachys var. pauciflora, Brodiaea jolonensis, Lasthenia californica and Dodecatheon clevelandii. Additionally, there are exotic grasses. Also within the valley are stands of coastal chaparral and coastal sage scrub.
Soil types include Cropley clay and Garretson loam on which the Nassella pulchra reaches its maximum growth. There is also a Zamora loam in the canyon.
Integrity: With the cessation of grazing in the area, the native grasses have reestablished their former dominance. There is some light recreational usage.
Use: Research, educational, observational, present.
December 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
