- Munz 1973: A Plant Community is ... a regional element of the vegetation that is characterized by the presence of certain dominant species.
- It is our nature to differentiate among a grassland and a shrubland or a meadow and an adjacent forest. (from Manual of California Vegetation)
Munz defines 29 communities in all of California.
Example of plant communities around the Transverse Ranges 
- Applying this to real life is a bit messy, of course. Real mountains have multiple peaks, north- and south-facing slopes, and east- and west-facing slopes.