A Vegetation Study of Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park lies in a relatively unexplored region of southcentral Utah. The diversity in geology and the elevation gradient (3,500-9,000 feet) allows for diverse vegetation including endemic and rare taxa (Welsh and Chatterley 1985). Previous floristic studies have been conducted in San Rafael Swell (Harris 1980) and the Henry Mountains (Neese 1981); however, aside from classification of coniferous habitat types (Youngblood and Mauk 1985), no community studies have been done in this region