Posted by
Baja_Costero (Baja California - Zone 11b) on Jul 8, 2019 9:12 PM concerning plant:
Large bushy shrub to 15-20 feet from coastal southern California and Baja California, especially northwestern BC, where it is called the lentisco. Leaves are simple and folded upward along the midrib. Small white flowers appear in dense terminal panicles during spring and summer. Branch tips are reddish during periods of active growth.
Frequently a nesting site for birds and other small animals, and often a host for the parasitic dodder plant (Cuscuta spp.). Intolerant of cold temperatures. Extremely drought tolerant, staying leafy through 6-8 months of summer drought on a near-yearly basis. This plant can recover from being burnt to the ground during brush fires, by sprouting at the base. It is often a dominant plant in coast chaparral and sage scrub vegetation.
Formerly placed in the Rhus genus. Flowers may somewhat resemble those of the saladito (Rhus integrifolia) which occurs in much of the same range, but they appear later and in much greater abundance, and the leaves of the saladito are distinctly different because they are not folded.
To some extent this plant can be shaped by pruning, but it tends to get pretty huge when left to its own devices. Plan for a monster.
