PRUNUS ILICIFOLIA

'''Prunus ilicifolia''' (also known by the common names of 'hollyleaf cherry', 'islay', ^[1] and 'evergreen cherry')Fire Effects Information Service, USDA Forest Service: ''Prunus ilicifolia''. [1] is a species in the genus ''Prunus'', native to coastal California. It often grows as a shrub but can form a tree up to 26 ft. tall.Munz, Philip A. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press. The fruit is edible but contains little flesh.

Contents

Description

Distribution and Habitat

Ecology

Subspecies

Notes

External Links

Description

''P. ilicifolia'' is a shrub or tree bearing sclerophyllous leaves somewhat resembling those of the holly, hence its common name. The dense foliage is composed of 2-5 cm. leaves with spiny edges, arranged alternately on the stem.^[2] The leaves are dark green when mature and generally shiny on top, and have a smell resemblings almonds when crushed.
Many small (1-5 mm.) white flowers are born on a raceme in the spring.Hickman, James C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. These develop into deep red cherries. The fruit is edible and have sweet flesh, though little of it surrounds the smooth pit.

Distribution and Habitat

''P. ilicifolia'' is native to California chaparral and foothill woodlands along the Coast Ranges below 5000 ft. It's distribution extends from northern Baja California along the California coast to the northernmost extent of the Coast Ranges. In chaparral communities, it tends to inhabit north-facing slopes, erosion channels, or other moist, cool, sites.
The 'Catalina Cherry' (''P. ilicifolia'' ssp. ''lyonii''), a subspecies which can attain 15 m. in height and has blue-black berries, is native to San Clemente, Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Island islands.Schoenherr, Allan A.; ''A Natural History of California''. University of California Press, Berkley, 1993

Ecology

''P. ilicifolia'' is a persistent member of chaparral communities, being slow-growing but long-lived. In the absence of fire, ''P. ilicifolia'' will outlive or outshade surrounding vegetation, making room for seedlings. Eventually, it will form extensive stands codominated by scrub oak. Although it will stump-sprout after fires, the seeds of ''P. ilicifolia'' are not fire-adapted like those of many other chaparral plants are.Keeley, Jon E. 1987. Role of fire in seed germination of woody taxa in California chaparral. Ecology. 68(2): 434-443.; material found here Instead, it relies on the natural death of surrounding vegetation during long periods of fire-free conditions to make room for its seedlings.
Apparently, the seeds of ''P. ilicifolia'' will only germinate after an acid treatment, such as the one performed when they are passed through the digestive tract of the coyote, which feeds on the fruits. The coyotes are discouraged from eating the seeds themselves by cyanide, which is released from the seeds if they are cracked. Others report that germination levels are high with only suitable moisture and temperature levels.^[3] Sufficient light levels are also reported to be necessary for germination.
The caterpillars of the pale swallowtail (''Papilio eurymedon'') feed on this and other members of the riparian woodland plant community.

Subspecies

''P. ilicifolia'' contains two subspecies, as follows:
:''P. ilicifolia'' ssp. ''ilicifolia''
:''P. ilicifolia'' ssp. ''lyonii'' (Eastw.) Raven 'Catalina cherry'

Notes

1. Gudde, Erwin G. (1946). "The Solution of the Islay Problem," ''California Folklore Quarterly'', Vol. 5, No. 3. (Jul., 1946), pp. 298-299. Gudde concludes that the word "islay" originated in a Salinan word ''slay''. The Salinans are a tribe of native Americans in Northern California. Islay was the Spanish version of their word.
2. Conrad, C. Eugene. 1987. Common shrubs of chaparral and associated ecosystems of southern California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-99. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.
3. Mirov, N. T.; Kraebel, C. J. 1937. Collecting and propagating the seeds of California wild plants. Res. Note No. 18. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, California Forest and Range Experiment Station. 27 p.

External Links

★ ''Prunus ilicifolia'' fact sheet, Virginia Tech Forestry Department. Includes photographs showing habit, bark, flowers, and leaves. Retrieved May 6, 2007.