Editing Central Valley (California) (section)

===Flora===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2024}}
The Central Valley was formerly a diverse expanse of grassland, containing areas of [[prairie]], desert grassland (at the southern end), [[oak savanna]], [[riparian forest]], [[marsh]], several types of seasonal [[vernal pool]]s, and large lakes such as now-dry [[Tulare Lake]] (once the largest [[freshwater lake]] west of the Mississippi), [[Buena Vista Lake]] and [[Kern Lake (Kern County)|Kern Lake]]. However, much of the Central Valley environment has been altered by human activity, including the introduction of [[exotic plant]]s, notably grasses. The valley's grasslands, wetlands, and riparian forests constitute the [[California Central Valley grasslands]], a [[temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]] [[ecoregion]]. The foothill oak woodlands and [[chaparral]] that fringe the valley have been categorized as the [[California interior chaparral and woodlands]] ecoregion.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=na0801 |name=California Central Valley grasslands|access-date=November 13, 2011}}</ref> 

The dominant grass of the valley was ''[[Nassella pulchra]]'' mixed with other species, but today only 1% of the grassland in the valley is intact. Grassland flowers include [[California poppy]] (''Eschscholzia californica''), [[lupin]]s, and purple owl's clover (''[[Castilleja exserta]]''), which can still be seen, especially in [[Antelope Valley]] in the [[Tehachapi Mountains]]. Riverside trees include willows, western sycamore (''[[Platanus racemosa]]''), box elder (''[[Acer negundo]]''), Fremont cottonwood (''[[Populus fremontii]]''), and the endemic valley oak (''[[Quercus lobata]]''). Another endemic species is brittlescale (''[[Atriplex depressa]]'') which grows in saline and alkali soils.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilken |first=Dieter H. |date=1993 |title=Treatment for ATRIPLEX depressa |url=https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment?3084,3089,3104 |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=University of California {{!}} Jepson Manual}}</ref>