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Coast Silk Tassel (Garrya elliptica)
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Shrub
White
Pink
Other
Petals Not Obvious
Opposite
Typical Height
Evergreen
Has Berries
Has Catkins
Native
Description
Height 7 - 20 ft.
EW Bloom
Leathery,
opposite
, evergreen leaves are shiny on the top and paler underneath.
Leaf margins are wavy.
Each individual plant has either male or female flowers, but not both.
CA native.
Endemic
to the
California Floristic Province
.
Look for male plants on the Franciscan between posts 12-15 and a female on the Sylvan near post 16.
AKA Silk Tassel, Silktassel, Coast Silktassel, Wavyleaf Silktassel
Silk Tassel Family (Garryaceae)
These female
catkins
are thicker and shorter than the male version.
Here are male
catkins
, cascading down like a silk tassel, sometimes 8" long.
Silk Tassel grows to the size of a small tree but has so many branches that it sometimes looks like a big shrub.
Photo Gallery (58 ) click any picture to enlarge
Coast Silk Tassel has beautiful chains of flowers that look like a silk tassel. The leaves are roughly elliptic, reflecting the species name [i]ell ...
Leaves have wavy edges, a distinguishing characteristic for this species. The top surface is dark green, waxy and shiny. The bottom surface is p ...
Leaves feel leathery, and the edges often curl under. They grow to 2 or 3 inches long. The thick leaves taste bitter and are not often grazed by ...
This shows over a dozen male [[catkins]], in various stages of development. They hang from the end of branches, and can grow to 8 inches long.
Here are mature male flowers, starting to release their pollen. They're arranged on a chain of fused purple-tipped [[bracts]] with several male f ...