The Santa Rosa range lies within the Colorado Desert (lower elevations) and California montane chaparral and woodlands (higher elev.) ecoregions of flora and fauna. The California desert chaparral flora and fauna community is found here on the eastern rainshadow side. The mountain peaks contain plants such as the rock draba, Ziegler's aster, shaggy-haired alumroot and Davidson's stonecrop. Also in the eastern Santa Rosa Mountains, in canyons with natural oases, the native California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) is found. They are also the home of a population of endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, endemic to the Peninsular Ranges and distinct from the Desert Bighorn Sheep.