CHAPARRAL, a mixed forest formation of low hard-leaved, stunted trees and shrubs resulting from short, wet, cool winters and long, arid, hot summers. The word is believed to have been derived from chaparro, the Spanish name for live oak. Chaparral grows slowly and shrubs 25 years old will usually average not more than 2 or 3 in. in diameter and 5 or 6 ft. in height. This type of forest growth occurs chiefly in southern California in the United States, along the coast of Chile, in Europe and Asia along the Mediterranean and as far east as Turkistan, in Africa near the Cape of Good Hope and on the southern and southwestern coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Its chief economic value lies in its ability to conserve water supply, which it accomplishes be low the surface through its root system and above the surface by breaking the force of hot winds and shading the ground to prevent evaporation.
Of the 150 different species of woody plants believed to exist in the chaparral of Southern California 20 dominant types— among them chamise, manzanita, ceanothus, sumac, sage, scrub oak and buckthorn (qq.v.)—represent 90% of the growth. In former times the Indians used the nuts, berries and seeds of sev eral of the varieties for food. Some species were once in demand as fuel supply and others are still used for fencing. The bee industry flourishes in the chaparral region, several profusely flowering shrubs, as the black sage, being excellent honey plants. It is estimated that there are 5,500,000 acres of chaparral in the United States. Chaparral formations protect the upper water sheds of the coastal streams in California for a distance of about miles.