Menodora scabra var. scabra

Rough desert olive

Family: Oleaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Rough desert olive is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in eastern Desert Mountains including Clark, Eagle, and New York Mountains in rocky or sandy desert scrub and woodland at elevations of 1,000 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces pale flowers in small clusters with distinctive calyx lobes. Growing with ascending to erect stems 10 to 28 centimeters tall that are somewhat rough and branching throughout, it has a compact, intricate growth habit. Its leaves are narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, more than twice as long as wide, generally uniform in size and slightly rough in texture. The plant's delicate structure and ability to thrive in harsh desert environments make it a resilient and intriguing species of the arid southwestern landscape.

Habitat: Rocky or sandy soils, desert scrub, woodland

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 1000-1800 m

Bioregions: e DMtns (Clark, Eagle, New York mtns)

California counties: San Bernardino

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