Philadelphus microphyllus
Littleleaf mock orange, Littleleaf Mock Orange
Family: Hydrangeaceae · Type: shrub · Native
Littleleaf mock orange is a California native shrub found in the eastern Peninsular Ranges, specifically the Santa Rosa Mountains, western Inyo Mountains, and eastern desert mountains at elevations of 1,340 to 3,350 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white flowers with widely elliptic petals 6 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with upright branches up to 2 meters tall, it forms a dense, compact shrub in rocky mountain landscapes. Its leaves are small and delicate, with narrow ovate to elliptic blades 3 to 8 millimeters wide, featuring margins that are slightly rolled under and attached to slender petioles 5 to 18 millimeters long. In rocky pinyon and juniper woodlands, this mock orange creates subtle, elegant patches of greenery against rugged mountain terrain.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, cliffs, pinyon/juniper woodland
Bloom period: May-Jul
Elevation: 1340-3350 m
Bioregions: e PR (SnJt, Santa Rosa Mtns), W&I, e DMtns
California counties: Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, Mono, Nevada
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.