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Red Shanks
Adenostoma sparsifolium
  
9 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Red Shanks (Adenostoma sparsifolium) 9 Nurseries Carry This Plant Adenostoma sparsifolium (Redshanks or less commonly, Ribbonwood) is a multi-trunked tree or shrub in the Rosaceae (Rose) family that is native to dry inland slopes or chaparral of Southern California and northern Baja California below 6,000 ft. Shaggy falling shanks or ribbons of bark are one of the strongest characteristics of the tree, hence the common names. Redshanks are closely related to the more abundant Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum). Members of this genus are very deep rooted and important slope stabilizers. The foliage is feather-like, allowing the trunk and main branches to show through. The flowers are small but attractive. The fruit is an achene which is valued by small birds. Red Shank is an attractive garden tree, especially when planted in a small grouping. To learn more about this species and its close relative, Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), visit the Jepson Herbarium's YouTube channel and watch a short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3G8MlSzo1A&t=9s
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub, Tree

Size
Size
6.6 - 20 ft tall
10 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
White, Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 18 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Satyrium tetra Image
Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak Satyrium tetraSatyrium tetra
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata
*
Hemileuca eglanterina Image
Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina
*
Hesperumia sulphuraria Image
Sulphur Moth Hesperumia sulphurariaHesperumia sulphuraria
*
Hemileuca electra Image
Hemileuca electraHemileuca electra
*
Argyrotaenia franciscana Image
Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana
*
Lacinipolia quadrilineata Image
Four-lined Arches Lacinipolia quadrilineataLacinipolia quadrilineata

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 9

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils including decomposed granite, sand and clay. Soil PH: 6.2 - 7.2

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Bank Stabilization, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with other shrubs of inland chaparral such as California Copperleaf (Acalypha californica), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), Ceanothus sp., Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides or minutiflorus), Bush Poppy (Dendromecon rigida), coffeeberry (Frangula sp.), Flannelbush (Fremontodendron californicum or mexicanum), Chaparral Yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei), Penstemon sp., Bladderpod (Peritoma arborea), Redberry (Rhamnus crocea), Sumac (Rhus sp.), Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri), Sage (Salvia sp.), and Mojave Yucca (Yucca shidigera)

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment. Soaking in 10% H2S04 for 15 mins. may improve germination.

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, foothills and valleys, generally inland, from San Luis Obispo County southward

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.9" - 32.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 3.08", Coldest Month: 37.7" - 55.2", Hottest Month: 60.5" - 84.1", Humidity: 0.96" - 35.01", Elevation: -30" - 7263"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Redshanks


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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


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