Chamise, Adenostoma fasciculatum

About Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) 26 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Chamise or Greasewood, 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. It is an evergreen shrub growing to four meters tall, with dry-looking stick-like branches. The leaves are small, 4-10 millimeters long and one millimeter broad with a pointed tip, and sprout in clusters from the branches. The leaves are shiny with flammable oils, especially in warmer weather. It is said to be highly flammable but can be kept fire-resistant by occasional watering. The branches terminate in bunches of white tubular flowers five millimeters in diameter, with five petals and long stamens. Chamise is one of the best plant 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: 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

Shrub

Size

3 - 13.1 ft tall
1 - 8 ft wide

Form

Upright, Rounded

Growth Rate

Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Slight

Flower Color

White

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Various birds and insects
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 9 confirmed

, 10 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak Satyrium tetraSatyrium tetra

Four-lined Arches Lacinipolia quadrilineataLacinipolia quadrilineata

Pterotaea lamiariaPterotaea lamiaria

Argyrotaenia niscanaArgyrotaenia niscana

Paleacrita longiciliataPaleacrita longiciliata

Wright's Hulstina Hulstina wrightiariaHulstina wrightiaria

Bank's Emerald Moth Chlorosea banksariaChlorosea banksaria

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 26

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

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

Common uses

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

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?

For propagating by seed: Seeds collected from plants, no treatment. Seeds collected from duff, hot water. Alternative treatments: burn a 1" thick layer of pine needles or excelsior over the seed bed, oven heat of 212°F for 5 mins. (Stone and Juhren 1953; or soak in 10% H2S04 for 15 mins.

Sunset Zones?

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

Natural Setting

Site Type

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

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

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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

Chamise

Adenostoma fasciculatum

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ChamiseAdenostoma fasciculatum

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Chamise

Adenostoma fasciculatum