''Dirca occidentalis'', the western leatherwood, is a deciduous
shrub
A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...
with leaves three to seven
centimeters
upright=1.35, Different lengths as in respect to the electromagnetic spectrum, measured by the metre and its derived scales. The microwave is in-between 1 meter to 1 millimeter.
A centimetre (International spelling) or centimeter (American ...
in length. Yellow flowers emerge prior to leafing. It grows on moist and shaded slopes. It is rare
and
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the
San Francisco Bay area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Its closest relative, ''
Dirca palustris'', lives in the eastern half of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
.
Gallery
File:Dirca occidentalis.jpg, In flower, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
The Arnold Arboretum is a botanical research institution and free public park affiliated with Harvard University and located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, Massachusetts, Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston.
Established in 1872, it is the ...
accession #311-86*A
File:Dirca occidentalis flower detail.jpg, Flower detail
File:Dirca occidentalis flowers.jpg, Flowers
References
External links
''Dirca occidentalis'' images at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University Plant Image Database*Friedman, William (Ned)
"As good as gold (well better actually)".''Posts from the Collections'', Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University website, 28 March 2020. Accessed 30 April 2020.
*
Jepson Manual Onlinebr>
''Dirca occidentalis'' A. Gray
Thymelaeoideae
Endemic flora of California
Endemic flora of the San Francisco Bay Area
Santa Cruz Mountains
{{Thymelaeaceae-stub