Adenostoma fasciculatum var. fasciculatum

Chamise

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Chamise is a California native shrub found in northern California Coast Ranges, Cascade Range foothills, Sierra Nevada, central and southwestern California in dry chaparral slopes and ridges at elevations to 1,830 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces small white flowers in dense, open clusters up to 17 centimeters long. Growing up to 4 meters tall with erect to ascending branches and smooth, slender twigs, it forms a dense, upright shrub with a characteristic shape. Its leaves are narrow and sharp-pointed, generally linear to oblanceolate, measuring 5 to 13 millimeters long and giving the plant a fine, needle-like texture. In dense chaparral landscapes, chamise creates distinctive uniform stands that are highly adapted to California's dry, fire-prone environments.

Habitat: dry slopes, ridges, chaparral

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: < 1830 m

Bioregions: NCoR, CaRF, SN, CW, SW

California counties: San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Kern, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Marin, San Benito, Napa, Santa Clara, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Orange, Lake, Ventura, Monterey, San Mateo, Shasta, Mariposa, Calaveras, Butte, Inyo, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Glenn

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.