Dirca occidentalis

Western leatherwood

Family: Thymelaeaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Western leatherwood is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native shrub found in the San Francisco Bay Area on generally north or northeast facing slopes in mixed-evergreen forest to chaparral within the fog belt at elevations of 50 to 400 meters. Flowering from November to March, this plant produces yellow flowers on short pedicels emerging before leaves, with delicate clusters of 1 to 4 blooms. Growing 1 to 3 meters tall with silky-hairy stems that are particularly soft in youth, it develops an elegant, multi-branched structure. Its leaves are softly textured with rounded bases and tips, measuring 2 to 7 centimeters long and carried on short 3 to 6 millimeter petioles. The fruit develops as a yellow-green capsule 8 to 10 millimeters long, hanging discreetly among the branches.

Habitat: Generally north or northeast facing slopes, mixed-evergreen forest to chaparral, generally in fog belt

Bloom period: Nov-Mar

Elevation: 50-400 m

Bioregions: SnFrB.

California counties: Marin, Contra Costa, Sonoma, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda

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