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Woody > Garrya > Garrya elliptica > Garrya elliptica

Garrya elliptica


Coast or Wavy-leaf Silktassel Bush




Origin:  Introduced by Victorian plant collector David Douglas who was employed by the Horticultural Society of London (later to become the Royal Horticultural Society) in the 1920’s. Douglas was killed under suspicious circumstances on his return from the Pacific North-West via Hawaii in 1834 at the age of 35.
Family
Garryaceae
Genus
Garrya
Species
elliptica
Category
Woody
Type
Shrub (evergreen)
Pronunciation
Temperature (°C)
-10C
Temperature (°F)
15F
Height
2-5 m
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
March
Growth
Slow
Habitat
Coastal ranges of California and southern Oregon.
Bark/Stem Description
The plant has smooth dark bark, dark-greenish when young, but with age the bark roughens.
Leaf Description
Waxy convex leaves with wavy leaf margins and dense individual hairs on the leaf undersides. Its leaf blades are 6-8 cm in length, and has petioles which range in length from 6-12 mm.
Flower Description
The dioecious flowers are concentrated in inflorescences which cascade downward as aments of 4-6 cm in length. The pendant male catkins are much more showy and are grey-green and up to 30 cm long; the female ones are shorter and silver-grey.
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