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Home Garden    Plant Lists    California Native Plants    Tree List    Drought Tolerant Plants

Prunus ilicifolia ~ Holly Leafed Cherry

Prunus ilicifolia a great small tree for a dry garden.  It gets to 15-20 feet tall and wide.  The Holly Leaf Cherry leaves are very reminiscent of the Holly bushes, with prickly margins and a shiny top.  Prunus ilicifolia blooms heavily in the mid spring with clouds of creamy flowers.   Prunus ilicifoia literally hums with bees when it is in bloom.  Then it produced cherries.   The fruit are not to be confused with bing cherries but the bears love them and they are edible in a pinch.  That is to say that you almost have to be a bear to love them.  There is much more pit than fruit and even when ripe are very tart tasting.  The trunk and branches are so sinuous in character that they remind me of a dwarf version of a much larger tree.

Prunus ilicifolia, Holly Leafed Cherry

 

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Last modified: Sunday, February 28, 2010