E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Holodiscus discolor (Pursh) Maxim. var. discolor
oceanspray
Rosaceae (Rose family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants
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E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Holodiscus discolor var. discolor
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Species Information

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General:
Medium to tall shrub, 1-4 m tall; stems slender, erect to ascending, usually arching, hairy, the young stems ridged, older ones with reddish-grey, peeling bark.
Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, dull green, egg-shaped to broadly triangular, 3-6 (10) cm long, coarsely toothed or shallowly pinnately lobed, often with minute, abruptly pointy-tipped, secondary teeth, squared-off to wedge-shaped at the base, on stalks 10-15 mm long, the upper surface green and coarse-hairy to smooth, the lower surface paler, strongly veined and soft-hairy.
Flowers:
Inflorescences diffuse, terminal, pyramidal, somewhat drooping clusters 10-17 cm long, of numerous small (3-5 mm across), short-stalked flowers; corollas white to cream, the petals 5, oval, 1.5-2 mm long; calyces deeply 5-lobed, the lobes about 1.5 mm long, short-hairy on the outer surface; ovaries superior, hairy; stamens about 20.
Fruits:
Achenes, 5, tiny (about 2 mm long), light brown, long-stiff-hairy; fruit clusters turning brown and remaining on the plants over the winter.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry to mesic bluffs, rocky slopes, clearings, thickets, forest edges and open forests in the lowland to montane zones; common in S BC, disjunct in Bella Coola valley; S to ID, MT and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Holodiscus discolor (Pursh) Maxim.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References