Colubrina californica

Las animas colubrina, Las Animas Colubrina

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Las animas colubrina is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native shrub found in southern Desert Mountains and Sonoran Desert in desert scrub habitats at elevations of 240 to 920 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small flowers in dense clusters appearing after rainfall. Growing to less than 3 meters tall with straight, softly hairy stems, it develops a distinctive compact form. Its leaves are oblong to obovate, 12 to 35 millimeters long, with a dull gray-green color and silky hairs that are denser on the leaf undersides, featuring rounded or wedge-shaped bases and rounded tips. The fruit is persistent, remaining on the plant for 3 to 6 months and measuring 8 to 10 millimeters long.

Habitat: Desert scrub

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 240-920 m

Bioregions: s DMoj, DSon

California counties: Riverside, Imperial

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