Western Leatherwood (Dirca occidentalis) Login         


        Description
  • Height 2 - 10 ft.
  • EW Bloom Jan - Mar
  • Leatherwood is a deciduous shrub with hanging yellow flowers.
  • It is one of the first plants to bloom in the new year.
  • You'll find it on moist hillsides, in partial shade.
  • CA native. Endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • CNPS 1B Rare, Endangered.
  • AKA Leatherwood
  • Leatherwood Family (Thymelaeaceae)



Leatherwood is a shrub with red bark, delicate green leaves, and hanging yellow flowers.



Leaves and flowers emerge out of the same bud. Pistil and stamens hang below the yellow petal-like sepals.


Early flowers bloom before the leaves come out.

   Photo Gallery (76 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

Buds are fuzzy, like a pussy willow. Each bud opens up first to produce first flowers, and then leaves. This is unusual - most plants have separ ...
Here are two flowers emerging from a fuzzy white bud. The [[pistil]] develops first, the [[stamens]] a little later.
One to four flowers hang from a single bud. Each flower has yellow [[sepals]] that wrap around minute scaly petals that you probably won't find. ...
Here, leaves are emerging above mature yellow flowers. Stems are flexible and reddish brown and may have silky hairs.
Leaves are alternate, [[deciduous]], more-or-less oval, and bright green. They have silky hairs. Unlike most other plants, leaves appear after f ...