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Rosaceae
Catalina Ironwood
Lyonothamnus floribundus
Island resilience.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Lyonothamnus
- Native to
- Channel Islands, California
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- evergreen tree
- Height
- 30-60 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, rocky
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Catalina ironwood is a living fossil, a relict species that once grew across western North America millions of years ago.
- It survives naturally only on four of California's Channel Islands, making it one of the rarest trees in North America.
- The bark peels in long, cinnamon-red strips, giving the trunk a distinctive shaggy appearance.
- Its fernlike foliage is unusual for the rose family and represents a primitive leaf form.
- Fossil evidence shows its ancestors grew alongside dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period.
Color meanings
0
rarity
1
endurance