Garrya elliptica
Common name:
Wavyleaf Silktassel
Coast Silktassel
Pronunciation:
GAR-i-a E-lip-ti-ka
Family:
Garryaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
Yes
- Evergreen shrub, erect, dense, to 8 ft (2.5 m) high and wide, may be a small tree 20-30 ft (6-9 m). Leaves opposite, simple, elliptical to oval, 4-6 cm long, leathery, margins entire and slightly wavy and irregularly turned under (revolute), glossy, essentially smooth and dark green above, paler and woolly below; petiole stout, to about 13 mm long, grooved and flattened above. Flowers appear in winter, male and female flowers on separate plants (dioecious), male catkin-like clusters are yellowish to greenish then gray, 8-20 cm long ("silk tassels"), female flower clusters are shorter, 5-9 cm long. Fruit are in grape-like clusters, each is round, about 6 mm wide, at first green but finally covered with a purplish-gray pubescence; may be present through the summer if not eaten by birds.
- Sun or part shade. Not fussy about soil type, if well-drained. Considered a good foliage plant, can be grown as a hedge, moderate irrigation needed. Prune immediately after flowering. A few male cultivars with especially long "tassels" are available, 'James Roof' (30 cm), 'Evie' (25 cm).
- Hardy to USDA Zone 8 Native to the Coast Range and near the Pacific Ocean from southwest Oregon to southern California.
- elliptica: elliptical, the leaves
- Dallas, Oregon: Delbert Hunter Arboretum and Botanic Garden
Click image to enlarge
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male catkins, early winter
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plant habit, winter flowering
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plant habit, flowering
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leaves and male catkins
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male catkins and leaves
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plant habit, after flowering
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leaves
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leaf
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leaves, comparison
