Jepson eFlora: Filtered Keys using KeyBase

KeyBase is a dichotomous key platform hosted by Royal Botanical Gardens, Victoria, with an interface that allows one to easily navigate dichotomous keys and "filter" them with a checklist, removing key leads that do not pertain to any terminal taxa in the checklist.

The Jepson eFlora dichotomous keys are fully integrated into KeyBase, essentially making a regional flora available for any of the Jepson bioregions. Select the region in which you found your plant, and you will be taken to a simplified version of the eFlora keys in KeyBase. (e.g. Key to Plants of the Sierra Nevada, Key to Plants of the San Gabriel Mountains) Taxon names in KeyBase link back to Jepson eFlora taxon pages.

Get Started:

NOTE: The KeyBase taxon filters are based on Jepson eFlora author's assertions of taxon ranges. As we have discovered from comparing Consortium of California Herbaria (CCH) specimen records to eFlora authored ranges in the Yellow Flag project, there are many plant populations that occur outside the eFlora authored ranges. If a filtered key does not bring you to an answer that matches the plant you are identifying, try using a more relaxed filter (e.g. use the Sierra Nevada filter instead of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills filter), or use the full key if necessary.

For feedback regarding KeyBase software, contact Niels Klazenga (Niels.Klazenga@rbg.vic.gov.au)
For feedback regarding how Jepson eFlora content is displayed in KeyBase, contact Jason Alexander (jason_alexander@berkeley.edu)

Recent Update History
Oct. 20, 2023: Bioregion species lists updated for Revision 11.
Apr. 20, 2022: Bioregion species lists updated for Revision 10.
Dec. 23, 2021: Bioregion species lists updated for Revision 9.


List California Provinces, Regions and Subregions
 (click on any link on the list below to view the filtered key)

CA-FP  California Floristic Province

  NW  Northwestern California
    NCo  North Coast subregion
    NCoR  North Coast Ranges subregion
      NCoRH  High North Coast Ranges district
      NCoRI  Inner North Coast Ranges district
      NCoRO  Outer North Coast Ranges district
    KR  Klamath Ranges subregion

  CaR  Cascade Ranges
    CaRF  Cascade Range Foothills
    CaRH  High Cascade Ranges

  SN  Sierra Nevada
   nSN   northern Sierra Nevada subregion (nSNF + nSNH)
   cSN   central Sierra Nevada subregion (cSNF + cSNH)
   sSN   southern Sierra Nevada subregion (sSNF + sSNH)
    SNF  Sierra Nevada Foothills subregion
     nSNF  northern Sierra Nevada Foothills
     cSNF  central Sierra Nevada Foothills
     sSNF  southern Sierra Nevada Foothills
    SNH  High Sierra Nevada subregion
     nSNH  northern High Sierra Nevada
     cSNH  central High Sierra Nevada
     sSNH  southern High Sierra Nevada
    Teh  Tehachapi Mountains subregion

  GV  Great Central Valley
    ScV  Sacramento Valley
    SnJV  San Joaquin Valley

  CW  Central Western California
    CCo  Central Coast subregion
    SnFrB  San Francisco Bay Area subregion
    SCoR  South Coast Ranges subregion
      SCoRI  Inner South Coast Ranges district
      SCoRO  Outer South Coast Ranges district

  SW  Southwestern California
    SCo  South Coast
    ChI  Channel Islands
      nChI  northern Channel Islands
      sChI  southern Channel Islands
    PR  Peninsular Ranges
      SnJt  San Jacinto Mountains
      PR exc SnJt  Peninsular Ranges excluding San Jacinto Mtns
    TR  Transverse Ranges
      WTR  Western Transverse Ranges
      SnGb  San Gabriel Mountains
      SnBr  San Bernardino Mountains

GB  Great Basin Province

  MP  Modoc Plateau
    Wrn  Warner Mountains
    MP exc Wrn  Modoc Plateau excluding Warner Mtns
  SNE  East of Sierra Nevada
    W&I  White and Inyo Mountains
    SNE exc W&I  East of Sierra Nevada excluding White & Inyo Mtns

D  Desert Province

  DMoj  Mojave Desert
    DMtns  Desert Mountains
    DMoj exc DMtns  Mojave Desert excluding Desert Mtns
  DSon  Sonoran Desert

 

The Jepson eFlora divides California into 35 ecologically distinct bioregions for the purpose of indicating where plant taxa grow. The smallest subdivision defined as a distinct bioregions, depends on how finely each region is ecologically divided. One bioregion, the Sonoran Desert, is at the finest scale at the region-level, and is not divided into subregions. The other nine regions are further divided into two or more subregions. Seven subregions are further divided into two or more districts. All regions are grouped into three main provinces, as shown in the maps above.

Each terminal taxon treatment in the Jepson eFlora indicates the treatments in which the taxon is asserted to occur. Using this information, a checklist for any subregion, region or province can be made (see the eFlora Tools page for a tool that does exactly that).


For full descriptions of each bioregion, see Geographic Subdivisions of California