Holodiscus discolor var. discolor

Oceanspray

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Oceanspray is a California native shrub found in northwestern California, the Sierra Nevada, Sacramento Valley (Sutter Buttes), central western California, Channel Islands, western Transverse Ranges, San Gabriel Mountains, and Peninsular Ranges at elevations up to 3,200 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces creamy white flowers in large, branching clusters 5 to 25 centimeters wide. Growing 1.5 to 6 meters tall with an open, spreading form, it has hairy twigs and a distinctly branched structure. Its leaves are ovate to elliptic, 1.5 to 8 centimeters long, with sparse hairs on the upper surface and dense hairs underneath, featuring toothed edges and a base that is generally truncate or rounded. The plant thrives in moist woodland edges and rocky slopes, creating an elegant, arching silhouette in its native habitats.

Habitat: Moist woodland edges, rocky slopes

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: < 3200 m

Bioregions: NW, SNH, GV (Sutter Buttes), CW, ChI, WTR, SnGb (300--1300 m), PR

California counties: Placer, Monterey, Tulare, Los Angeles, Del Norte, Nevada, Calaveras, Colusa, Sierra, Alameda, Contra Costa, Kern, El Dorado, Lake, Glenn, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Tuolumne, Napa, Orange, Plumas, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Mono, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Shasta, Sutter, Sonoma, Trinity, Ventura, Alpine, Humboldt, San Diego

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