What is a Chaparral? A chaparral is a shrubby coastal area that has hot dry summers and mild, cool, rainy winters. The word chaparral comes from "chaparro," which means scrub oak in Spanish. Chaparrals are also called Mediterranean scrub, shrublands, or scrublands.

Precipitation The annual rainfall in the chaparral biome may reach 20–30 in., but in contrast to the grasslands, almost all of this falls in winter. Summers are very dry and all the plants — trees, shrubs, and grasses — are more or less dormant then.

Where are Chaparral biomes found? The chaparral is found in California. (The photo shows the chaparral-clad foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California.) Similar biomes (with other names, such as scrub forest, are found around much of the Mediterranean Sea and along the southern coast of Australia.

Where are Chaparral biomes found?

Flora of the Chaparral Biome The trees in the chaparral are mostly oaks, both deciduous and evergreen. Scrub oaks and shrubs like Manzanita and the California lilac form dense, evergreen thickets. All of these plants are adapted to drought by such mechanisms as waxy, waterproof coatings on their leaves. The chaparral has many plants brought to it from similar biomes elsewhere. Vineyards, olives, and figs flourish just as they do in their native Mediterranean biome.

California Lilac

Scrub Oak

Manzanita

Fauna of the Chaparral Biome Many animals live in chaparrals, including invertebrates, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. The different chaparrals of the world support different populations of organisms that have all adapted to long dry spells and frequent fires.

California Quail

Northern Red Diamond Rattlesnake

Orange-Throated Whiptail Lizard

Wrentit

California Striped Racer Snake

Scorpion