Colubrina californica

PLANT: Shrub, 1.0-2 (-3) m tall; branches widely spreading. STEMS: weakly armed or unarmed, alternate; bark reddish brown, gray to whitish, covered with dense, matted, wool-like hairs, becoming less so with age. LEAVES: deciduous, alternate or fascicled; stipules triangular; petiole 0.5-4 mm long, woolly; blades 4-17 (-35 ) mm long, 4-11 ( -20 ) mm wide, dull gray-green to yellowishgreen, pubescent, entire or occasionally with 1 or 2 teeth. INFLORESCENCE: of (1-) 2-12 flowers, dense; pedicels 1-1.5 mm long. FLOWERS: inconspicuous; hypanthium 2.0-2.5 mm wide, woolly; sepals 1 mm long, light green; petals ca.1 mm long, yellowish, green. FRUITS: persistent, woody, three-lobed, dark purple to black capsules, 6-9 mm long, 7-8.5 mm broad, with persistent sepals; pedicels becoming woody and stouter in fruit. NOTES: Along washes and dry slopes: La Paz, Maricopa, Pinal and Yuma cos.; 500-1000 m (1500 -3000 ft); spring and summer; se CA; Baja C, Mex. Benson and Darrow noted that Colubrina californica is a relict of interest as it occurs in widely separated areas. (Benson and Darrow 1954). REFERENCES: Kyle Christie, Michael Currie, Laura Smith Davis, Mar-Elise Hill, Suzanne Neal, and Tina Ayers, 2006 Vascular Plants of Arizona: Rhamnaceae. CANOTIA 2(1): 23-46.

Christie et al 2006 (Canotia VPAP treatment); Kearny and Peebles 1979

Common Name: Las Animas nakedwood Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Shrub General: Shrub, 1.0-2 (-3) m tall; branches widely spreading. STEMS: weakly armed or unarmed, alternate; bark reddish brown, gray to whitish, covered with dense, matted, wool-like hairs, becoming less so with age. Leaves: Deciduous, alternate or fascicled; stipules triangular; petiole 0.5-4 mm long, woolly; blades 4-17 (-35 ) mm long, 4-11 ( -20 ) mm wide, dull gray-green to yellowishgreen, pubescent, entire or occasionally with 1 or 2 teeth. Flowers: INFLORESCENCE: of (1-) 2-12 flowers, dense; pedicels 1-1.5 mm long. FLOWERS: inconspicuous; hypanthium 2.0-2.5 mm wide, woolly; sepals 1 mm long, light green; petals ca.1 mm long, yellowish, green. Fruits: Persistent, woody, three-lobed, dark purple to black capsules, 6-9 mm long, 7-8.5 mm broad, with persistent sepals; pedicels becoming woody and stouter in fruit. Ecology: Along washes and dry slopes, from 1,500-3,000 ft (457-914 m); flowers spring and summer. Distribution: sw AZ, se CA; south to Sonora, Baja Calif., MEX Notes: In favorable situations the plants are 3 m high, but are usually smaller. The AZ specimens have smaller fruits than those from the type locality in Baja California. Synonyms: Colubrina texensis var. californica Editor: AHazelton 2016 cut and paste from VPAP