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Chamise
Adenostoma fasciculatum
  
About Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) 27 Nurseries Carry This Plant Chamise, or Greasewood, (Adenostoma fasciculatum), a member of the Rose family, is a flowering plant native to California and northern Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the chaparral biome, sometimes forming monotypic stands.

Chamise is an evergreen shrub with dry-looking stick-like branches. The leaves are quite small, sprouting in clusters from the branches. Its leaves are shiny with flammable oils, especially in warmer weather. Chamise is said to be highly flammable but can be more fire-resistant with occasional watering. The branches terminate in bunches of white tubular flowers.

Chamise is one of the best plants for anchoring a slope and resisting erosion, due to its wide-spreading and deeply-penetrating roots. In maturity, it develops a large burl from which it will resprout after fire or severe pruning. In the wild, it is the host plant of a common root parasite, Chaparral Broomrape.

There are three recognized varieties of this plant. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. fasciculatum is found throughout the range of the species. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. obtusifolium is found only in San Diego and Orange Counties. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. prostratum, a low-growing form, is found primarily on the northern Channel Islands. A cultivar known as 'Black Diamond' (Adenostoma fasciculatum 'Black Diamond') is popular and widely available.

To learn more about this species and its close relative, Red Shanks (Adenostoma sparsifolium), visit the Jepson Herbarium's YouTube channel and watch a short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3G8MlSzo1A
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3 - 13.1 ft tall
1 - 8 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Slow

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Slight

Flower Color
Flower Color
White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Various birds and insects

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 9 confirmed , 9 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of sand and clay. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Bank Stabilization, Groundcovers, Bird Gardens, Deer Resistant, Bee Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Any chaparral plants make good companions, including Deerweed, Thick-leaved Yerba Santa, Toyon, Lemonade Berry, Mission Manzanita, Del Mar Manzanita, other manzanita species, Scrub Oaks, Yucca species, various cactus species, native bunch grasses, and geophytes such as Mariposa Lilies.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Seeds collected from plants --- no treatment. Seeds collected from duff --- hot water. Alternative treatments: 1. Burn a 1-inch-thick layer of pine needles or excelsior placed over the seed bed. 2. Put in oven at 212°F for 5 minutes (Stone and Juhren 1953). 3. Soak in 10% H2S04 for 15 minutes.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7*, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry slopes and flats, usually higher than coastal sage scrub and below woodlands, from the coast to desert transition

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 7.7" - 89.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.99", Coldest Month: 25.1" - 57.2", Hottest Month: 48.3" - 83.7", Humidity: 0.09" - 34.59", Elevation: -261" - 10807"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Common Chamise, Greasewood


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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