Menodora spinescens var. spinescens

Spiny desert olive

Family: Oleaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Spiny desert olive is a California native shrub found in the northern slopes of the Transverse Ranges, southern eastern Sierra Nevada, and northern Mojave Desert on rocky desert hillsides and in canyons at elevations of 690 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces delicate flowers with white to pale yellow corollas. Growing with distinctive spiny branches 30 to 100 centimeters tall, it forms a dense, intricate shrub with woody, persistent stems. Its leaves are small and narrow, providing a subtle texture to the plant's overall appearance. The flowers feature unique characteristics, with corolla tubes 2.5 to 3.7 millimeters long and yellow anthers that are partially exposed.

Habitat: Rocky desert hillsides, canyons

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 690-2000(2300) m

Bioregions: SnBr (n slope), s SNE, n&ampe DMoj exc DMtns

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, Mono

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