Lyonothamnus floribundus
ROSACEAE, the Rose family

Native to Southern California, this drought tolerant evergreen is hardy in USDA zones 8 to 10. However, it looked pretty happy in Hoyt Arboretum today despite the recent weather here. The leaves remind me of Comptonia, rather fern-like but leathery. And they had some winter color, burgundy tones through the new growth. It can grow in sun or partial shade.

This tree - it grows 20 to 30 feet tall or more - has good seasonal interest. The clusters of small, spirea- like flowers are white, and it has interesting reddish peeling bark. I read on one website that deer like to browse it.

I’m not sure if this tree is available locally, but I’d like to find out. It’s beautiful!

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 at 9:39 pmand is filed under Plant Of The Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.