Adolphia californica

California adolphia, California adolphia, California adolphia

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

California adolphia is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native shrub found in southern coastal and Peninsular Range bioregions in coastal scrub and chaparral habitats at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from December to April, this plant produces small white flowers approximately 2 millimeters long with delicate pale petals. Growing to less than 1.5 meters tall with stout twigs and a compact form, it develops a distinctive branching structure. Its leaves are elliptic to obovate, 3 to 12 millimeters long, with wedge-shaped bases and obtuse to acute tips. The compact shrub produces fruits approximately 5 millimeters in length, contributing to its subtle landscape presence.

Habitat: Coastal scrub, chaparral

Bloom period: Dec-Apr

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: SCo, PR

California counties: San Diego, Monterey, Los Angeles

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