The Sierra is one of the last foothills of the Betic Cordilleras.
It has a quadrangular shape and an alignment from southwest to northeast.
The predominant material is limestone, although the intense tectonic activity has caused the existence of very varied landscapes.
The maximum height of the mountain range is the peak of the Montcabrer, with 1390 m, being the third of the province of Alicante. In addition to this, there are numerous peaks of more than one thousand meters, such as Alto de Mariola (1,158 m), El Contador (1,232 m) and El Portín (1,081 m)This mountain has a Mediterranean climate with a slight continental hue due to the relative average height. It has cold winters where temperatures can fall to -15 Cº in the highest areas (1000 meters or more). Summers are hot, with temperatures that can exceed 35ºC and even 40ºC. The precipitations oscillate between 350 mm and 900 mm annually respectively (they are very irregular).
This mountain range is remarkably rich in plant varieties. Among them, the presence of the yew tree stands out. In the micro-reserve of the Teixera d’Agres one can observe the southernmost yew forest in Europe, although at present it is not as abundant as in other times.
The greater part of the mountain range is covered by a forest formation in which the carrasco pine is predominant along with diverse shrubs like the aliaga, the rosemary or the jara.
However, it is also possible to find the mixed Mediterranean forest, in which species such as the holm oak are mixed together with deciduous trees much less frequent in the Valencian Community such as the ash, maple or tree as tree species and the presence of Durillo, rusco or honeysuckle as shrub species.
But without a doubt the true wealth of the sierra is found in the floristic diversity. 1200 species have been identified, many of them endemic to the Valencian Community or the Sierra.
Among them it could be emphasized the salvia of Mariola, the tail of cat, the camomile edge, the piperela, the lavender, the santonica, the wormwood or the rock tea.