Rhamnus pirifolia

Greene

Pittonia 3: 15. 1896.

Common names: Island redberry
Synonyms: Rhamnus crocea subsp. pirifolia (Greene) C. B. Wolf R. crocea var. pirifolia (Greene) Little
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 47. Mentioned on page 46.

Shrubs to small trees, 2.5–6 (–10) m, unarmed. Branchlets purple to gray, glabrous or puberulent. Leaves persistent, alternate; petiole 5–10 mm; blade dull reddish to yellowish-brown abaxially, usually shiny green adaxially, broadly elliptic to oblong or ovate-oblong, (1.5–) 2–5 (–6) cm, distinctly coriaceous, base cuneate to nearly truncate, margins blunt-serrate or entire, apex acute to rounded, apiculate, both surfaces glabrous; secondary-veins 5–9 pairs, all diverging at nearly same angle. Inflorescences fascicles or flowers solitary. Pedicels 3–6 mm. Sepals 4. Petals 0. Drupes red, globose, 6–8 mm; stones 2.


Phenology: Flowering (Jan–)Feb–Jun.
Habitat: Steep slopes, canyon walls and bottoms, dunes, grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, pine woodlands.
Elevation: 10–500 m.

Distribution

V12 535-distribution-map.jpg

Calif., Mexico (Baja California)

Discussion

Rhamnus pirifolia is known in California on the Channel Islands and in Baja California on Guadalupe Island; it has not been implicated in hybridization with other members of the R. crocea complex.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number.

... more about "Rhamnus pirifolia"
perigynous +  and epigynous +
acute +  and rounded +
Guy L. Nesom +  and John O. Sawyer† +
Greene +
cuneate to nearly +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
green +, reddish +  and yellowish-brown abaxially +
3[-5]-veined +  and pinnate +
spinulose +, spinose +, serrate +  and entire +
denticulate +, dentate +, crenulate +, crenate +  and serrulate +
broadly elliptic;oblong or ovate-oblong +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
coriaceous +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
Island redberry +
Calif. +  and Mexico (Baja California) +
globose +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
10–500 m. +
bisexual +  and unisexual +
Steep slopes, canyon walls and bottoms, dunes, grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, pine woodlands. +
circumscissile +
free +  and adnate +
campanulate +  and cupulate +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
persistent +
entire +  and blunt-serrate +
intrastaminal +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
not fleshy +
perigynous +  and epigynous +
yellowish +  and cream +
adnate +  and distinct +
not clawed +  and spatulate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Flowering (Jan–)Feb–Jun. +
2-4-carpellate +
oblong-obovoid +  and obovoid +
greenish white +  and white +
distinct +
crested;not keeled;ovate-triangular +
opposite +  and subopposite +
4 +  and 5 +
2 +  and 4 +
Rhamnus crocea subsp. pirifolia +  and R. crocea var. pirifolia +
Rhamnus pirifolia +
species +
600 cm6,000 mm <br />6 m <br /> (1,000 cm10,000 mm <br />10 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and evergreen +
spreading +  and erect +
polygamous +, dioecious +  and synoecious +