Hansen's Northwest Native Plant Database


Chrysolepis sempervirens (Bush Chinquapin)

 

Kingdom

 Plantae – Plants

Subkingdom

 Tracheobionta – Vascular plants

Superdivision

 Spermatophyta – Seed plants

Division

 Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants

Class

 Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons

Subclass

 Hamamelididae

Order

 Fagales

Family

 Fagaceae – Beech family

Genus

 Chrysolepis Hjelmquist – chinquapin

Species

 Chrysolepis sempervirens (Kellogg) Hjelmqvist – bush chinquapin

 

Photo by Wayfarer 73

A very attractive low-spreading evergreen shrub with rounded top, reaches 2 to 7 feet high.

Bark is smooth. Leaves are gray-green on top and rusty-gold on the underneath side.

Blooming in June, the flower is green and insignificant, can be ill-smelling. Burs are similar to chestnut.

It occurs naturally in mountainous regions of California and southern Oregon along the Pacific Coast from the San Jacinto and San Bernardino mountains north through the Coast Ranges to southwestern Oregon where it forms partnerships with:

On the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range, it shares space with Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) and other shrubs.

As for location, this shrub prefers coarse textured gravelly or rocky soils in full sun. It is drought tolerant.

Photo below center by Joe Decruyenaere at Owens Valley in California.

   
Contact:  star@chillirose.com ~ Copyright 2012 © Wallace W. Hansen ~ All rights reserved