Holodiscus discolor (Pursh) Maxim.
oceanspray (creambush)
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
oceanspray (creambush)
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Holodiscus discolor var. discolor
Species Information
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.
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Late Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Holodiscus discolor
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
607 | 1 | 1540 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
35 | 0 | 150 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
203 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
707 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ICH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(1), CDF(175), CWH(43), ICH(267), IDF(192), MS(9), PP(16) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and 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.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Holodiscus boursieri (Carr.) Rehd.
Holodiscus discolor subsp. franciscanus (Rydb.) Taylor & MacBryde
Holodiscus discolor var. ariaefolius (Sm.) Asch. & Graebn.
Holodiscus discolor var. delnortensis Ley
Holodiscus discolor var. franciscanus (Rydb.) Jepson
Holodiscus discolor var. glabrescens (Greenm.) Jepson
Holodiscus dumosus subsp. saxicola (A. Heller) Abrams
Holodiscus dumosus var. australis (A. Heller) Ley
Holodiscus dumosus var. glabrescens (Greenm.) C.L. Hichc.
Holodiscus glabrescens (Greenm.) A. Heller
Holodiscus microphyllus Rydb.
Holodiscus microphyllus var. glabrescens (Greenm.) Ley
Holodiscus microphyllus var. microphyllus Rydb. [superfluous autonym]
Holodiscus microphyllus var. sericeus Ley
Holodiscus microphyllus var. typicus Ley
Sericotheca discolor (Pursh) Rydb.
Spiraea discolor Pursh