Prunus ilicifolia
Prunus ilicifolia var. occidentalis
Catalina cherry, evergreen cherry, holly leaf cherry, islay
Catalina cherry
with terminal end buds, glabrous.
persistent;
petiole 3–25 mm, glabrous, eglandular;
blade oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate or ovate to suborbiculate, 1.6–12 × 1.2–5(–7) cm, base usually broadly rounded to subcordate, sometimes obtuse, margins spinose-dentate to spinose-serrulate or entire, sometimes undulate, teeth sharp, callus-tipped, sometimes glandular at leaf base, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous, abaxial eglandular, if glands present, restricted to margins.
petiole 8–25 mm;
blade oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 4–12 × 1.5–5.5(–7) cm, margins not or slightly undulate, usually entire, sometimes remotely spinose-serrulate.
15–40-flowered, racemes;
central axes 30–80 mm, leafless at bases.
1–5 mm, glabrous.
blooming before leaf emergence;
hypanthium cupulate, 2–3 mm, glabrous externally;
sepals erect to spreading, triangular, 0.7–1.2 mm, margins entire, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely with scattered hairs;
petals white to yellowish, elliptic, obovate, or suborbiculate, 1–3 mm;
ovaries glabrous.
dark red to purple or blue-black, obovoid or ellipsoid to globose, 12–25 mm, glabrous;
mesocarps leathery;
stones subglobose to ellipsoid, ± flattened.
blue-black, 15–25 mm.
Prunus ilicifolia
Prunus ilicifolia var. occidentalis
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Variety occidentalis is native on the Channel Islands and occasionally escapes from cultivation on the mainland. Some botanists consider it a subspecies or variety of Prunus ilicifolia because the two taxa when grown together hybridize to form viable fertile offspring (P. H. Raven 1963), and since some specimens have more or less toothed leaves, intermediate between the extremes of the two taxa. Others prefer distinct species based on geographic isolation and differences in plant size and habit, leaf margin, petiole length, and fruit color.
Variety integrifolia Sudworth is an illegitimate and superfluous name that pertains here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaf blades ovate to suborbiculate, margins spinose-dentate to spinose-serrulate; petioles 3–10 mm. | var. ilicifolia |
1. Leaf blades oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, margins usually entire, sometimes remotely spinose-serrulate; petioles 8–25 mm. | var. occidentalis |
CA
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USDA Plants Database
