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Family: Rhamnaceae
Native to: the northwestern USA, extending into southwest Canada
Dimensions: subsp. velutinus to 4 - 8' tall, 10' wide, subsp. laevigatus is taller and often treelike
Cold resistance: excellent overall, likely varies according to origin
Drought resistance: pretty good, but not for low desert
Key Features: tough native evergreen shrub, glossy leaves, showy white flowers, drought resistant, resprouts from fire
Uses: dry garden, native plantings, back of dry border, urban plantings/reflected heat
Description:
This desirable native evergreen shrub is found throughout much of the western USA except for the desert Southwest. It features glossy leaves to 2" wide or slightly larger, and produces racemes of showy white flowers in late spring. It is not difficult to grow once propagated (that's the challenging part), and makes a sturdy garden shrub once established. It is adapted to sun or partial shade; full sun is recommended if dense growth is desired. It prefers well draining soil and may not be suited to irrigated gardens, although one does occasionally find it not far from streambanks in the wild, as well as ranging into the summer monsoon area of Colorado, so perhaps it is somewhat adaptable.
Two subspecies are known:
- Subsp. velutinus is widely occurring throughout dry forests of much of the interior Pacific Northwest, extending somewhat into Canada and down to central California, and east to Colorado and Wyoming. It is commonly seen as a 4 - 6' tall shrub with greater spread, but can reach as high as 10'. It is extremely cold-hardy, easily withstanding -30°F or below; one would expect collections from the interior to even handle -50°F.
- Subsp. laevigatus is apparently exclusive to the Puget Trough, where it is more common on the west side out towards Hood Canal, and slightly into the Olympic Mountains; often colonizing disturbed ground. It is taller, and may sometimes be treelike, achieving 20' tall with equal spread; however, younger plants are more attractive (this could perhaps be alleviated with some pruning/training). As it is seldom cultivated, I doubt anyone knows exactly how cold-hardy it is; but it obviously does well in western Washington, being adapted to cold, drought, and winter rainfall.
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