Composition and dominance in Los Angeles basin urban vegetation

Los Angeles area vegetation was surveyed using color infrared images obtained in a 1972 over-flight combined with vegetation data from randomly selected ground samples. A total of 184 species of plants were identified and grouped into six structural classes: broadleaf trees, conifers, palms, shrubs, grasses, and ground cover. For the most common species, crown volume, crown projection area, and dry leafmass constant were determined. Similarity indices for the ground-sampled areas and species importance values (a measure that combines the prevalence and size of a species to reflect its importance in an ecosystem) are presented. Species with the highest importance values were California fan palm, Italian cypress, Monterey pine, cocos palm and Canary Island pine.