Tetracoccus dioicus

Parry's tetracoccus

Family: Picrodendraceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Parry's tetracoccus is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native shrub found in southern San Diego County and western Peninsular Ranges on dry chaparral slopes at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small, delicate flowers with distinctive staminate and pistillate structures on separate plants. Growing with slender stems that are sparsely fine-tomentose near branch axils and becoming glabrous with age, the shrub reaches moderate height with an open, sparse structure. Its leaves are generally opposite or arranged in whorls of three, with narrow linear to oblanceolate blades 10 to 30 millimeters long, sometimes with slightly inrolled margins and rounded to acute tips. The fruit is roughly 6 millimeters long and 7 to 9 millimeters wide, covered in sparse fine tomentum.

Habitat: dry slopes, chaparral

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: s SCo (San Diego Co.), w PR

California counties: San Diego, Orange, Riverside

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