Maytenus boaria

Maiten tree, Maiten Tree

Family: Celastraceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Maiten tree is a naturalized shrub found in the San Francisco Bay Area's Alameda County in scrub regrowth at elevations of 130 to 400 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small flowers with petals 1.5 to 3 millimeters long. Growing up to 15 meters tall with pendulous branches, it has green twigs that turn gray-brown with age. Its leaves are approximately lanceolate, 15 to 45 millimeters long with short petioles, and grow flat along the branches. The fruit is smooth and measures 6 to 9 millimeters long.

Habitat: Scrub regrowth

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 130-400 m

Bioregions: SnFrB (Alameda Co.)

California counties: Riverside, Alameda, Marin, Butte, San Luis Obispo, Contra Costa, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Monterey

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