Plant of the Month (March) : Canyon Silktassel – Garrya veatchii

 

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): 4 year old plant, Mother Nature's Garden of Health

By March, Southern California gardens are greening up and plants are beginning to flower.  We’ve discussed a number of March bloomers over the years.  But the Canyon Silktassel (Garrya veatchii) in Mother Nature’s Garden of Health is finally large enough to bloom; so we’re featuring it as our plant of the month. The scientific name is pronounced: GARE-ee-uh   VEECH-ee-eye.

Canyon silktassel belongs to the family Garryaceae (the Silktassel family). This small family includes but two genera: Garrya and the Asian Acuba (note: some taxonomists place Acuba in a separate family).  Of the 15 or 16 species of Garrya, six are native to California, most with ranges predominantly in Northern California.  The most common species grown in gardens is the northern coastal Garrya elliptica (Wavyleaf silktassel).  There are several well-known cultivars of this species.  

Several Garryas extend south into the mountains and foothills of Southern California. Garrya flavescens (Ashy silktassel) grows in the San Gabriel Mountains and Garrya fremontii (Fremont’s silktassel) in the mountains of Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. But of all the California species, Garrya veatchii has the most southerly distribution, typically ranging from San Luis Obispo County to northern Baja California, Mexico. The Canyon silktassel can still be seen in the Transverse and Coastal Ranges of Southern California (including the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County).

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): mature plant

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): foliage

 

Garrya veatchii grows on dry slopes below about 6000 ft. (1759 m.) in the chaparral and central/southern oak woodland plant communities.  It’s a tough, evergreen plant, often found growing with scrub oaks, Chamise (Adenostema), Threeleaf sumac (Rhus trilobata) and California brickelbush.  It grows as a multi-trunk woody shrub or small tree, ranging in size from 4 to 8 ft. (1.2 to 2.5 m.) tall and about as wide.  The bark is red-brown when young, becoming gray with age. Plants are slow-growing until established (3-4 years) then have a medium growth rate.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): leaf

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): leaf (back)

 

The leaves are one of the best ways to distinguish between the Canyon and Wavyleaf silktassels.  The leaves of Garrya veatchii are simple, evergreen, up to 3 inches (3-9 cm) long  and leathery.  The leaf shape is elliptical or lanceolate (somewhat lance-shaped).  The upper surface is waxy, shiny and medium to dark green; the under surface white with dense hairs.  The leaf margins are straight, unlike the distinctly wavy margins of the Wavyleaf silktassel.  The leaves become darker with age; their margins sometimes roll under in dry conditions.

 

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): emerging flowers

 

Silktassels are planted in gardens primarily for their unique and picturesque flowers.  Plants generally bloom in winter or very early spring – January to March or April.  The flowers themselves are small and cream or pink-tinged.  But they grow along dangling catkins that are 2-5 inches (5-12 cm) long – lovely in a mature plant.  Plants are dioecious (separate male and female plants) and the males have the longer, showier catkins.  There’s really nothing like a flowering silktassel; a mature plant will stop people in their tracks, wondering what that interesting shrub is.   The dried bracts remain on the plant for several months, prolonging the show.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): flowering plant

 

Female plants produce small, egg-shaped fruits if flowers are pollinated.  We’ve got just one plant (sex as yet undetermined); like most gardeners, we’ll never see any fruits.  The plants are wind pollinated.   For pictures of the fruits see references 1-3, below.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): development in Mother Nature's Garden of Health

 

In nature, Canyon silktassel grows in full sun or in some shade.  In hot gardens away from the coast we recommend light shade or afternoon shade.  In our garden of Health we’re growing our plant on the north side of a tall wall.  It gets plenty of morning sun and seems to be doing fine.  While silktassels like well-drained soils, ours appears to be fine in a clay-loam.   So any soil other than one with poor drainage will likely work. 

Garrya veatchii tolerates heat, air pollution, dry soils and seaside conditions.  It’s probably a better choice than Garrya elliptica in most Southern California gardens. Canyon silktassel is quite drought tolerant once established.  We planted ours in 2014.  We’ve been watering it 1-2 times a month (deep watering) in dry times.  This summer we’ll probably just water once a month through August or early September.  It’s important to let soils dry out between watering to prevent root fungal diseases.   We’ll play it by ear and update this post if we need to.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): pruning to espalier on a wall.

 

Garrya veatchii is often grown as an evergreen shrub, foundation plant or accent.  It can also be used in hedges and hedgerows. Its dark foliage makes a good background for more brightly colored perennials or shrubs with gray-green foliage.  It also makes a wonderful and easy espalier along a wall or fence (see above).   We’re hoping that this will be the year when our silktassel really takes off.  We’re tired of the cinder block wall and look forward to seeing it covered in green!

While not attracting pollinators, mature plants provide good cover for birds and small animals.  The fruits are eaten by birds.   And in the wilds, the foliage is occasionally eaten by larger herbivores (like deer, Bighorn sheep).

The fruits of Garrya species are used to make gray to black natural dyes. The hard wood is sometimes used for carving. And silktassels have a history of medicinal use.  A decoction of leaves is used externally to relive pain from cuts, sores and minor wounds.  The leaves are very bitter and leaf decoctions have also been used as a quinine substitute, especially to lower fevers.  Tinctures are also occasionally used to relax smooth muscle cramps and spasms.   The plant should not be used by pregnant women, as it is thought to induce spontaneous abortion. And as always, medicinals should only be used under the supervision of a health practitioner.   See references 4-6 for more on medicinal uses and precautions.

We hope our discussion and photos will entice you into trying Canyon silktassel in your own garden.  It’s a nice, fairly carefree shrub to grow.  It’s evergreen, with simple dark leaves that provide a nice background.  It’s a useful plant – and one that can be magnificent as an espalier.  We suggest it’s worth a try!

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): fabulous flowers!

 

For a gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-eleocharis-macrostachya

For more pictures of this plant see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/eleocharis-macrostachya-web-show

For plant information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html

_____________________

1.       https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/56204-Garrya-veatchii

2.       http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/plants/Garryaceae/Garrya%20veatchii/index.html

3.       http://www.smmflowers.org/mobile/species/Garrya_veatchii.htm

4.       http://kivasenchantments.com/silktassel-shining-from-the-shadows.html

5.       http://www.naturalwellbeing.com/learning-center/garrya_leaf/

6.       Moore, Michael: Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West

 

 

We welcome your comments (below).  You can also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

 

 

Plant of the Month (August) : Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat - Eriogonum parvifolium

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) - white flowers, left

 

Native buckwheats are the stars of local gardens in August.  Their pretty, pink-white flowers and orange-brown seed heads attract a host of birds and insects; they are sometimes literally covered with butterflies and other insects.  One local species, blooming now in Mother Nature’s Backyard, is the Seacliff or Dune Buckwheat, Eriogonum parvifolium (pronounced ‘air-ee-OGG-oh-num  par-vee-FOE-lee-um’.

Seacliff Buckwheat is also known commonly as Cliff Buckwheat, Seacliff wild buckwheat, Dune buckwheat, Dune eriogonum, Small-leaved wild buckwheat and Small-leaved buckwheat. It was first proposed as a species in 1809 [1] and  botanists collected it from the Los Angeles County coast in 1881 [2].     Several varieties have been proposed; most now regard all of the coastal forms as a single species.  

The wild Buckwheats – genus Eriogonum – are flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae (the Knotweed or Buckwheat family).  There are over 250 species and sub-species native to California.  Many California Eriogonums are half-woody shrubs (sub-shrubs) or perennials, although some are annuals.   Eriogonum species are native to North America and not to be confused with the Asian cereal/flour buckwheats, which are in a different genus (Fagopyrum).  Our native wild Buckwheats are not the source of buckwheat pancakes – that’s Fagopyrum – but they are a preferred food source for many a hungry insect.

Dune Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) is a good example of the buckwheats native to western Los Angeles County.  In the wilds, it still can be found in coastal areas from Monterey to San Diego County.   It grows most commonly on dunes and bluffs near the ocean, where it provides important habitat under challenging coastal conditions.  But in our area it also extends further inland, to areas covered by coastal shrubland and coastal sage scrub.  For example, there are still areas of native Coastal Buckwheat in undeveloped areas on the CSU Dominguez Hills campus (native coastal shrubland).   So Coastal Buckwheat is right at home in Mother Nature’s Backyard as well as on the Preserve.

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) 
 on coastal cliffs, Redondo Beach, California

 

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
typical form away from sandy coastal soils

 

 

Seacliff buckwheat is a sub-shrub (the bases of the branches are woody, while the newer parts are herbaceous) with numerous slender branches.  On sand/sandy soils near the coast, the branches are prostrate (lying on the ground) or decumbent (reclining on the ground, but with up-turned tips).  In less sandy soils – like our clay soil here at the garden - the branches may be fairly upright.   The branches are 1-3 feet (to 1 meter) long and a mature plant may spread to 4-5+ feet wide.  Overall, the plants usually resemble a series of upright stems, rather than the mounded, shrub-like forms of other local buckwheats (see photo, above).

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
wet-season leaves

 

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
Dry season leaves

 

The leaves of Seacliff buckwheat are smaller than those of some native Buckwheats, less than an inch (3 cm) across - usually about 0.5 inches (1.25 cm) in our area.  Leaves tend to be smaller in drier conditions.  The leaves have a distinctive, rounded, buckwheat shape (see above) and are medium green above and lighter green beneath due to cob-webby hairs. 

In spring, the leaves are succulent, relatively flat and hairy.   As the soil dries in summer, the leaves roll under at the edges – a water saving strategy.  Under really dry conditions, the leaves become tightly rolled and finally are dropped entirely. They may also turn red – a stress-related reaction.  These are mechanisms to allow the plant to survive the long dry summers associated with our mediterranean climate.  Seacliff buckwheat is a real survivor!

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
Foliage with red leaves

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
flowering plant

The main flowering season for Seacliff buckwheat is summer, although some flowers may be present throughout the year in a garden setting.   In most years, the major bloom occurs from late July through August in our area.  The flowers are just what an insect longs for: many tiny flowers, clustered in easy-to-access bunches and producing high quality nectar and pollen.

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
Close-up of flowers in tight, ball-like clusters

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
Gray Hairstreak butterfly nectars on flowers

 

As seen in the picture above, the flowers are cream-pink in color.   A plant in full bloom is literally covered with blossoms – a sight to behold.  The flowers attract a wide range of insects from native bees and butterflies to pollinator flies, beetles and wasps.  If forced to choose one plant to attract summer insects, it would have to be a buckwheat.  You’ll want to have a seat nearby, where you can sit and watch the many visitors.

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) with
Fiery Skipper butterfly

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) with
Pacific Burrowing Wasp

 

Dune buckwheat is host plant to two endangered butterfly species.  Near Monterey, it provides larval food for the Smith's dotted-blue (Euphilotes enoptes smithi).  In Los Angeles County, it is well known for its role in the survival of the federally endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly (Euphilotes battoides allyni).  These tiny, short-lived butterflies can sometimes be seen fluttering around Eriogonum parvifolium on coastal dunes and sandy cliffs of the South Bay.  The plants also attract a number of other butterflies, primarily the smaller Skippers, Duskywings, Marine Blues, Hairstreaks and others.

Seacliff buckwheat is an easy-to-grow plant in the garden, providing you don’t water it much (or any) in the summer months.  We’ve grown it successfully in sandy and clay soils.  It needs full sun and probably does best within 8-10 miles of the coast.  Sandy, salty maritime conditions are no problem for this tough buckwheat.

Like several other local buckwheats (Ashyleaf buckwheat – Eriogonum cinerium; California buckwheat – Eriogonum fasciculatum; Giant buckwheat – Eriogonum giganteum) Eriogonum parvifolium is quick to establish.  Plant in late fall/winter, give occasional summer water (every 2-4 weeks) the first summer, and it’s established.  You will need to supplement in winter/spring if rains are scanty thereafter.  But these plants require little summer water once established. 

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
young plant

 

We may water our Seacliff buckwheat once or twice between late May and November in Mother Nature’s Backyard.   We’ve watered once a month in another garden – clay soil, but on a slope.  Be sure to pick a cool, overcast period for summer watering.   These plants are fairly pest-free, but can be killed by root fungi, if soil is moist during warm weather. 

Seacliff buckwheat requires very little maintenance.   We prune ours back by about 1/3 in late fall or winter to simulate natural ‘pruning’ by animals.  We also remove old dead stems, if any, at that time.  That’s about all the management that’s required.   If the plants spread too much, simply cut them back.  Other than that, Seacliff buckwheat is a plant that thrives on a gardener’s neglectful propensities.

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
Mother Nature's Backyard, Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve

 

We’ve planted  Eriogonum parvifolium in all the gardens we manage, as well as in restoration projects.  It makes a hardy, shrubby groundcover on sunny slopes. We also plant it along walls and fences, to ‘soften’ their harsh lines.  Seacliff buckwheat works well in mixed, water-wise beds with other native shrubs and grasses. 

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)
Madrona Marsh Preserve, Torrance CA

 

We like to contrast the foliage of the several local buckwheats and often plant several species in a garden.   They provide essential color and interest in the summer and fall garden. Their billows of soft colors remind us that autumn is coming and complement evergreen shrubs and the yellow sunflowers of fall.  Their soft shapes are perfect for the natural cottage garden.

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) right
 and Ashyleaf buckwheat (left front)

 

Of course, Eriogonum parvifolium is an important shrub for habitat gardens, attracting both insects and insect- and seed-eating birds.   You can’t have too many buckwheats in a local habitat garden!     The young shoots can be cooked in the spring and eaten as wild greens.  Native Californians boiled the leaves to make a medicinal tea to treat headaches and stomach ailments.  The flowers were steeped in water, and the water then used as an eyewash.   All parts of the plant (including prunings) can be used to make brown and orange natural dyes.

Seacliff (Dune) Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) in fall
Mother Nature's Backyard, Gardena CA

 

In summary, Seacliff buckwheat is a natural addition to coastal California gardens.  It provides so much in a single plant: food, habitat, color and interesting shapes.  They provide floral color in summer and fall, when other local native are dormant.  To us, they help provide the ‘feel’ of coastal California, harking back to times past. We hope you’ll consider this easy plant for your own water-wise garden.  And if you live on the coast of Los Angeles County, you may even provide habitat for the endangered El Segundo Blue.

 

For a gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-eriogonum-parvifolium

For more pictures of this plant see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/eriogonum-parvifolium-web-show

For more on Ashyleaf buckwheat – Eriogonum cinerium: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/11/plant-of-month-november-ashy-leaf.html

For more on California buckwheat – Eriogonum fasciculatum: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/06/plant-of-month-june-california.html

For more on Giant buckwheat – Eriogonum giganteum: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/08/plant-of-month-august-st-catherines.html

  

For plant information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html

  

________________________________

 

1. Flora of North America - http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250060455
2. Consortium of California Herbaria - http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_consort.pl?taxon_name=Eriogonum%20parvifolium

 

 

We welcome your comments (below).  You can also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

 

Plant of the Month (December) : Lemonadeberry (Lemonade sumac) – Rhus integrifolia

Three year old Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia)
Mother Nature's Backyard garden

December is a quiet time in many Southern California gardens. This is just as well, given the flurry of other activities this time of year.  Plants are only beginning to respond to winter rains and the glory of fall is but a distant memory; it’s truly a quiet time.   However some plants do bloom in the cooler months from December through February.  For example, the native Lemonadeberry brightens a cloudy day with its masses of cheery pink flowers.

Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia) is a member of the Anacardiaceae, the Sumac or Cashew family.  Other S. California natives in this family are the Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), the Laurel sumac (Malosma laurina) and the closely related Sugar bush (Rhus ovata) and Sourberry/Basket bush (Rhus trilobata).  The family includes a number of well-known members including the Cashew, Mango and Smoke Tree.  The non-native Brazilian and Peruvian Pepper trees, which have so naturalized that many think them S. California natives, are also members of this family.  

Trees and shrubs in the Anacardiaceae produce a milky sap which is poisonous – sometimes dangerously so. Fortunately, shrubs in the genus Rhus, the true Sumacs, are more of an irritant than a danger to most people.   This makes them good candidates for the home garden, where they can replace truly toxic non-native shrubs like the Oleander.   

The red-fruited true Sumacs (Rhus species) are now separated from their white-fruited cousins in the genus Toxicodendron (poison oak; poison ivy; poison sumac). Rhus species do not produce urushiol, the chemical responsible for the severe allergic reactions caused by poison oak and poison ivy.  While gardeners are advised to wear gloves and long sleeves when handling Lemonadeberry, the itchy rash associated with sap exposure is usually mild and short-lived.  Rhus fruits are used as spice or flavoring agent in both the Middle East and North America, where they grow native.

 

Rhus integrifolia, Palos Verdes peninsula, California (foreground)

 

Lemonadeberry is a true Southern California shrub, growing from south of Santa Barbara to Baja California, Mexico.   While primarily a coastal species, it ranges east to Riverside County, appearing in the Coastal Strand, Coastal Sage Scrub and Chaparral plant communities.   Typically it grows in drier canyons, either on north-facing slopes or slopes/bluffs facing the ocean.  A lowland species, Lemonadeberry is rarely found above about 2500 ft. (900 m.) elevation, its distribution likely limited by freezing temperatures.

Lemonadeberry is a large evergreen shrub, reaching a maximal height of 6-10 ft. in protected areas and 2-3 ft. along the immediate coast.  It is usually somewhat wider than tall, spreading to as much as 10-12 ft. in diameter in favored spots.  Interestingly, it can be kept to a much smaller size with regular pruning (more below).

 

Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia): new foliage

 

Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia): new foliage

 

The leaves of Rhus integrifolia are simple, usually light- to gray-green (although they may be darker) and rather thick, fleshy and waxy.  The leaves may have pinkish margins or midribs (the main vein of the leaf) and new leaves/branches are a shockingly bright pink or orange.   The bright color is due to the production of Anthocyanins – chemicals that provide a ‘natural sunscreen’ and herbivory deterrent to protect the delicate new growth.  The bright foliage adds a spot of color this time of year.  The older bark is gray and not particularly showy.

 

Students from CSU Dominguez Hills measure Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia)
Palos Verdes peninsula, CA

Lemonadeberry shrubs are dense.  Their thick trunks are many-branched, starting quite low to the ground.  The new wood is soft – almost rubbery – but mature wood is dense and can be used for fuel.  The wood is pretty and distinctive in cross section, but we’re not aware its use in craft or furniture-making. In the wilds, young stems and branch tips are regularly nibbled by browsing animals, increasing the foliage density.  Mature plants in the wild are virtually impenetrable.

Flowering can occur at any time from December to February or March in S. California.  The timing reflects yearly climatic variability, primarily in temperature and precipitation (plants flower early in warm, dry years).  While small (1/4 inch), the flowers are showy, even in bud (see below).

Flowers & buds: Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia)

Lemonadeberry flowers are simple affairs with five pink or sometimes white petals.  The flowers are clustered at the ends of branches, with literally thousands of flowers on a mature shrub.   The flowers, indeed the shrub itself, remind some of the non-native Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica), a common garden shrub in S. California.  In fact, Lemonadeberry is a good native substitute for Indian Hawthorn.

 

Close-up of Lemonadeberry flowers.  Left inset is male flower.

The flowers have a lightly sweet fragrance and are an importance source of nectar and pollen for winter-flying bees, their principal pollinators.  Individual plants may contain only male or only female flowers (dioecious), or a combination of bisexual (complete) and unisexual flowers (see above). This arrangement likely allows the species to maximize fertility in different environments.   The male and bisexual flowers have conspicuous anthers with yellow pollen (above).  Plants are not self-fertile, so you’ll need at least two for good fruit production. 

Fruits of Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia).  Inset shows fully ripe fruits.

 

The fruits of Rhus integrifolia are drupes – small, flattened, fleshy fruits with a large seed or two.  The fruits start out a pink-white color and ripen to red-orange in late spring or summer.  Fruits are covered by a crystalline coating (see above) which has a distinctive tart flavor.  While native Californians sometimes eat the fruits fresh, many of us prefer to soak the pink fruits in warm or cool water to extract the lemony flavor.  The ‘flavored water’ that results (after the fruits are strained out) can be sweetened to produce a lemonade-like beverage. 

We assume that Lemonadeberry-flavored water can also be used to make a  distinctive jelly, dessert gelatin or syrup.  We’ll try these potential uses and report back; if all goes well, we’ll even feature the recipes in a future blog posting! (http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/05/california-gourmet-cooking-with.html).   In the Middle East, red Rhus fruits are dried and ground into a spice that’s used on salads, meats or kebabs for a spicy lemon flavor.  We’ll also try this idea out when our fruits are ready.   

In our experience, the fruits don’t create any problems or mess.  If not used by humans, they will be gobbled up by Northern Mockingbirds, Jays, Flickers, Crows and other fruit-eating birds.  We rarely see fruits on the ground in our gardens.  However, we do see lots of birds eating, perching – even nesting – in our mature Lemonadeberry shrubs.

Lemonadeberry is very easy to grow in our area.  We’ve had good luck with it in compacted clay soils and sandy soils.  Needing little in the way of added soil nutrients or amendments, it can take alkali soils (pH 7.8 to at least 8.0 and likely higher).   It does fine in full sun, though it prefers a little afternoon shade in very hot inland gardens.  Its foliage is susceptible to frost damage; however plants will usually re-sprout unless low temperatures are severe or prolonged.

Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia) in a garden.
Garden of Dreams, CSU Dominguez Hills.

Lemonadeberry is quite drought tolerant once established (2-3 years).  During the past two dry years we’ve summer-watered some plants every month, while others have received no supplemental water. Both groups have done just fine.   In Mother Nature’s Backyard, our Lemonadeberry was mulched with chipped wood at planting time.  We let mature plants self-mulch, supplemented with chopped up trimmings from the plants.

Lemonadeberry is a usefully substitute for non-native evergreen shrubs commonly used in local gardens.   Its size and density make it a useful background plant.  It  can also be trimmed for a water-wise foundation plant.   One of our favorite uses is as a hedge, screen or hedgerow shrub.  The dense foliage makes it an ideal ‘backbone plant’ for a mixed hedgerow; we like it combined with Toyon, Catalina and Hollyleaf cherries, and local Ceanothus species.   It is a great choice for slopes, where its deep fibrous roots bind the soil, limiting erosion.

 

Native plant hedgerow at CSU Dominguez Hills (Heritage Creek Preserve)
Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia) is main shrub.

If growing Rhus integrifolia as a hedge or large shrub, realize that some plants are slow to get started and many experience a gangly adolescent phase.   As seen above, shrubs planted as one-gallon shoots grow to substantial size in six years, even in drought conditions.  But plants take time to grow and develop their mature shape.   We suggest letting Lemonadeberry grow naturally (without much pruning) for the first 2-3 years.     Once a plant begins to develop long side branches then it’s time to begin pruning. 

Even if you want a more natural shape, you’ll want to do some yearly pruning, at least in the beginning.  In the wilds, young plants are regularly ‘pruned’ by rabbits, deer and other animals.  That’s why wild plants often have a nice rounded shape!   In your garden, you’ll have to ‘be the deer’, cutting back unruly branches in late spring/summer.   In fact, you can prune anytime the plant is actively growing.  But you’ll sacrifice some flowers and fruits if you prune in fall.

 

How much pruning is needed?   That’s entirely up to you.  Some gardeners prefer a natural look – they prune only for safety or plant health.  At the other extreme, we’ve seen plants formally hedged to four feet tall.  A formal hedge will need regular (even monthly) hedge pruning to keep it neat and tidy.  The formally hedged plant will have fewer flowers and fruits; but no one will guess it’s a native plant and it will be very water-efficient!

 

Mixed hedgerow with Lemonadeberry, Toyon and native cherries.
Heritage Creek Preserve, CSU Dominguez Hills.

You can actually have the best of both worlds.  If a formally clipped hedge is needed (to face the neighbors), prune one side formally and the other (facing your garden) semi-formally.  This will often please all parties.  You needn’t be too worried about how to prune a Lemonadeberry – it’s a very forgiving plant.

We hope you’ll want to consider Lemonadeberry for your garden.  In addition to being pretty and evergreen, its adaptive ways and useful attributes make it a garden winner.  We already pointed out its culinary and habitat values.  In addition,  Rhus integrifolia leaves and smaller branches (e.g., prunings) can be used to dye natural cloth or yarn a nice tan color; they can also be used as a mordant to help bind other natural dyes.

Native Californians have several additional uses for Lemonadeberry.  Tea from the leaves is used in treating coughs and a drink made from ground seeds for fever.  The ground seed is also used with the fruits for tea; tea from the bark was used after childbirth.  The wood has been used as fuel.   And the seeds produce an oil which can be extracted and used for making candles. 

 

For a gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-rhus-integrifolia

For more pictures of this plant see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/rhus-integrifolia-web-show

For plant information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html

 

Large lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia).
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont CA

Lemonadeberry in MNBY - 2016 (four years old)

 

We welcome your comments (below).  You can also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com