| Holodiscus dumosus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Holodiscus |
| Species: | H. dumosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Holodiscus dumosus | |
Holodiscus dumosus is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, with the common names mountain spray, rock-spiraea, bush oceanspray, and glandular oceanspray. [2]
The plant is native to western North America, where it occurs in northern Mexico and the Western United States. [2] [3]
It grows in many types of forest and shrubland habitats, and plant communities. For example, it is characteristic of and sometimes dominant in the understory of Douglas-fir, Ponderosa pine, and Arizona pine forests and oak woodlands. It grows from 3,000–11,900 feet (910–3,630 m) in elevation, depending on latitude and climate. [3]
In Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Idaho it occurs in the Rocky Mountains. It has been called "nearly ubiquitous" in many plant communities in Utah. In Arizona it occurs in the mountain wilderness of the Madrean Sky Islands such as the Chiricahua Mountains, sometimes in scree with Douglas-fir, and is a common plant in the Grand Canyon. In Nevada it is a component of quaking aspen and willow communities and sagebrush of the Great Basin region. [3] In Mexico it is native to the states of Chihuahua and Baja California. [2] It is also native to northern California and Texas. [2]
The shrub tolerates a variety of soil types, as well as bare rock and rock fragments, such as crevices in cliffs and scree. It is drought-tolerant and survives in dry habitat, but it thrives in more moist locations, and can be found in wetter environments than its relative, Holodiscus discolor (creambush oceanspray). It can be found in cool, moist mountain forests in the central part of its range. It prefers sheltered locations that have less direct sunlight and wind. It anchors easily on steep slopes, and can grow on vertical topography, such as cliffs. [3]
Holodiscus dumosus is a deciduous spreading shrub, which grows from 1.6–20 feet (0.49–6.10 m) in height and 5–10 feet (1.5–3.0 m) in width. [4] The stems intricately branch from the root crown and spread outward. The branches have shreddy bark and the smaller reddish twigs may be slightly spiny. The aromatic leaves are up to 2.3 centimeters (0.91 in) long by 1.2 centimeters (0.47 in) wide. [3] They are lobed or toothed. [5]
The inflorescence is a feathery panicle of small, pinkish-white to cream colored flowers, each about 2 millimeters long. [4] The bloom period is June through August. They are insect-pollinated.
Small seeds are produced in tiny, dry capsules. [4] They are dispersed by the wind. The plant reproduces by seed and by sprouting from its root crown. [3]
Native American peoples such as the Paiute and Shoshoni utilized this as a traditional medicinal plant for ailments such as stomachaches and colds. [11]
Early immigrant explorers used the wood to make nails. [3]
Holodiscus dumosus is cultivated as an ornamental plant, used in part-shade wildlife gardens, natural landscaping design projects, and as a large container plant. [7] [4] [3] [5] [12]
The Northern California coastal forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of coastal Northern California.
Abies lasiocarpa, the subalpine fir or Rocky Mountain fir, is a western North American fir tree.
Holodiscus discolor, commonly known as ocean spray or oceanspray, creambush, or ironwood, is a shrub of western North America.
Holodiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the Americas, from southwestern British Columbia, Canada and the western United States south to Bolivia.
Solanum xanti, known commonly as chaparral nightshade, purple nightshade, and San Diego nightshade, is a member of the genus Solanum. It is native to the Western United States in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon, and to northwest Mexico in Baja California.
Salix lasiolepis is a species of willow native to western North America.
Ericameria nauseosa, commonly known as Chamisa, rubber rabbitbrush, and gray rabbitbrush, is a North American shrub in the sunflower family (Aster). It grows in the arid regions of western Canada, western United States and northern Mexico.
Peucephyllum is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing the single species Peucephyllum schottii. Its common names include pygmy cedar, Schott's pygmy cedar, desert fir, and desert pine. It is not a cedar, fir, or pine, but a member of the aster family, Asteraceae. It is a leafy evergreen shrub with glandular, resinous foliage. It flowers in yellow flower heads which have only disc florets. The fruits are woody, bristly seeds with a pappus. This plant is native to the deserts of Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah in the United States and Baja California and Sonora in northern Mexico.
Lycium andersonii is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its common names include water-jacket, redberry desert-thorn, Anderson thornbush, Anderson's desert thorn, Anderson boxthorn, Anderson lycium, Anderson wolfberry, and squawberry.
Astragalus purshii is a species of milkvetch known by the common names woollypod milkvetch and Pursh's milkvetch.
Atriplex lentiformis is a species of saltbush.
Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intricatus is a variety of Cercocarpus ledifolius that is commonly known as little-leaf mountain mahogany.
Psorothamnus arborescens is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Mojave indigo bush.
Quercus turbinella is a North American species of oak known by the common names shrub oak, turbinella oak, shrub live oak, and gray oak. It is native to Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada in the western United States. It also occurs in northern Mexico.
Rosa woodsii is a species of wild rose known by the common names Woods' rose, and interior rose.
Silene grayi is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name Gray's catchfly. It is native to the mountains of Oregon and northern California, including the Klamath Mountains, where it grows in chaparral, mountain forests, and the talus of high slopes in alpine climates. It has been observed to occur in a plant association with oceanspray, littleleaf silverback, and Gray's bedstraw. It is a perennial herb producing a decumbent or erect stem up to 20 or 30 centimeters long from a woody, branching caudex. The base of the plant is covered in tufts of leaves. These basal leaves are lance-shaped to nearly spoon-shaped, fleshy, and up to 4 centimeters long. Smaller, narrower leaves occur farther up the stems. Each flower has a tubular calyx of fused sepals lined with ten green or red veins and covered in glandular hairs. It is open at the tip, revealing five pink or purple petals. The petal tips and appendages are divided into narrow lobes.
Physocarpus malvaceus is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name mallow ninebark. It is native to western North America, where its distribution extends from British Columbia to Nevada to Wyoming.
Purshia glandulosa is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common names antelope bitterbrush, desert bitterbrush, Mojave antelope brush.
Aquilegia laramiensis is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Laramie columbine. It is endemic to Wyoming in the United States, where it is known only from the Laramie Mountains.
Actaea elata is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name tall bugbane. It is native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, where it can be found in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.
