Scientific Family
Garryaceae
Other common names
grayleaf dogwood
Wright silktassel
Plant type
Shrubs
Riparian
No
Plant Description
Origin
Native
Similar species
Garrya flavescens
An erect, compact or openly branched evergreen shrub; bark reddish-brown with age; branches are somewhat quadrangular (square) in cross section, leaves opposite.
Evergreen shrub with squarish branches, leaf blades thick on short stalks, opposite, sparsely hairy or smooth below. Male and female flowers in elongated clusters on different plants. Bracts subtending flowers are fused at the base. Fruit is a berry.
Height
Up to 10 feet
Width
6 feet
Habitat
Habitat description
Found in desert scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands and dry slopes in pine-oak forests.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
8000
Leaves
Leaf color
Light green, yellowish-green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaf hairs
Bottom of leaves
Spines
No
Leaf Drop
Evergreen
Leaves opposite on short stalks, blades oval to round, often yellowish-green, thick and leathery. Upper leaf surface is smooth and lower surface may be smooth to sparsely covered with appressed hairs; margins have tiny irregular teeth.
Flowers
Flower color
Green
Flower shape
Inconspicuous
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
August
Male and female flowers small, lacking petals, arranged in elongated clusters (catkins), each flower subtended by a pair of bracts fused at the base.
Flower clusters
Elongated
Fruit
Fruit color
Dark bluish-purple
Fruit type
Berry-like
Berries are round and pea-sized, dark purple to black, smooth to sparsely hairy and contain 1 or 2 brown seeds.